Moonlight over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan ARC review

Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Do one thing every day that scares you. I think that is the best advice we could give ourselves on a daily basis. How many times have we just went status quo and always wondered what if. Harriet Knight is status quo. She is an average girl, with an average life, with average problems. But the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas she decides to challenge herself daily. No more status quo, start living outside the box. The plan is going worse than expected though and then she finds herself on the internet dating site date from hell. The best way she can think of to end said date is to jump out of the bathroom window. That is how we meet Harriet.

Harriet is a dog walker/pet sitter along with her twin sister Fliss. The started their own company and it has really taken off. Her sister has recently moved out of their apartment to live in the Hamptons with Seth (read Holiday in the Hamptons, you won’t regret it). Harriet finds herself alone for the first time in a very long time. After jumping out the bathroom window she heads to the ER to get her ankle checked and in walks Dr. Ethan Black.

Ethan Black is all ER all the time. He puts his very heart and soul in to his daily life and enjoys going to work everyday. Maybe the reason his marriage failed is because he puts 100% into his job. 100% means 0% left over for anything else. He is quite happy in his every day routine until his sister calls with an emergency. He'll do anything for his sister, well maybe anything.

Harriet agrees to change locations for one of her customers because an emergency takes them out of town. Her regular client "Madi" is staying with her “uncle”, a busy doctor, and needs to get her daily walk there instead of home. Harriet and Ethan meet again and realize they need each other to navigate this new normal. Can Ethan still put his heart and soul into work, but make a relationship work. Can Harriet realize she is great the way she is and "challenge Harriet" is a perfect way to get the happy ever after she craves.

I loved Harriet, more than any single main female character I can think of for a while. She is an every woman, self-conscience, has a stutter, awkward, shy. Being a dog walker/pet sitter myself I feel like Harriet (minus the stutter but just as awkward). I also loved revisiting the O’Neil family in Vermont. The way the author paints the scenery each and every time, makes me want to jump in the car and head to Vermont immediately. One of the other things I enjoy about Sarah Morgan novels is the English phrases that inevitably make their way into the writing. There are usually 3 or 4 common English phrases that don’t quite translate to US actions. I enjoy finding them though, and if not immediately known how they translate, finding the answer. None are every so strange though that it affects the flow of the story.

Even though I received this book in exchange for an honest review, it is another great novel from Sarah Morgan, as if I expected anything less. I am adding this to my From Manhattan with Love shelf immediately, hope you do the same right now.




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Maid to Crave by Rebecca Avery review

Maid to Crave by Rebecca M. Avery

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Maid to Crave by Rebecca Avery
Man Maid book 2

Maid to Crave is book 2 in the Main Maid series. It is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca Avery, it was part of a 4 book collection I rented through my library and Overdrive. Sadly this was painful to get through. I literally had to force myself to finish this book. The story line had so much potential I just felt like this was a horribly novice writing style and it just didn’t work for me.

Tori Stewart is a single mom to a 6 year old boy. Her friend recommends using the Man Maid service that she had luck using (and finding love). She agrees just hoping to not get the one Maid that makes her heart flutter, Seth Lewis.

Seth Lewis is a former military man who comes to work for his friend at Man Maid services. He is working not only as a Maid but as a stripper to pay for his brothers medical bills. He remembers Tori from a wedding a little bit back but doesn’t see her other than his potential boss.

Tori and Seth realize they can become friends and maybe then morph it into something more. Like I said, this story had such great promise but the writing really killed it for me. I would like think I would give this author another chance at her writing style but I can’t say that for sure just yet.




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The Last First Date by Maggie Wells

The Last First Date by Maggie Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Last First Date by Maggie Wells

Maggie Wells is a new author to me. I read this as part of a 4 book collection through overdrive. The Last First Date was a cute very short novella. As with any other novella I read, well most of them anyway, I am left wanting. This one cut off a little sharper than most so I felt like I needed more answers than normal.

Overall it is a cute short story. Detective Langley “Lang” Sheppard finally has a day off and is having the worst first date of this life. Jessica Vickers is dealing with recent life setbacks and is just trying to get to the New Year to start over fresh. They each are just holding on to their pathetic lives until the clock strikes midnight. A chance stop at a local convenience store finds them in each other’s path and so it begins.

I wish it would have gone a couple more chapters to set up a little more of the story. There are some pretty comical sections that made me laugh out loud. I liked Maggie Wells’ writing style so I probably will give another story of hers a try (after getting through my TBR shelf first ha)






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Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates review

Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have to start this review by mentioning the cover art on this book. This is one of the best covers I’ve seen in a while, makes you feel like part of the story right from purchase. Anyway, on to my review of Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates, continuing the story of the Donnelly brothers in Copper Ridge. I have been a fan of Maisey for quite a while and more so of the Copper Ridge series. I think as I made my way through and got to the Donnelly brothers books Alex became my favorite brother. I don’t know what appealed to me first or just as a whole but I liked him from Finn’s book straight through to Liam’s (currently reading). Alex got into my heart, yes I know he is fictional haha, and I was routing for him from “go”.

Alex Donnelly and Clara Campbell are the main characters in Wild Ride Cowboy. Alex is the youngest Donnelly brother and was in the military. He comes back to Copper Ridge with his (full) brother Liam to his family ranch after his grandfather passes away and leaves him ¼ of the ranch. His older ½ brothers are also living at the ranch (Finn, Cain have their own stories) and they must figure out how to survive this newfound family atmosphere. Alex has a painful background with both his home life growing up and his military background. He comes back not only for the ranch but to take care of a responsibility he inherited from a fallen friend.

Clara Campbell hasn’t had a great life. Everyone she’s loved in her life has died on her. She was starting to feel cursed then Alex walked into her life and took over. She knew what she wanted, or so she thought, but Alex may know better. Can they work together to save her ranch and their hearts?

Personally I loved this book. As I said above, Alex was a favorite character of mine for a while. Putting him with Clara, someone 10 years younger than him, was a great choice. They help each other grow and flourish, getting strength off each other. My absolutely favorite part of the book was when Alex told Clara she had the appetite palette of a 6 year old haha.




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Review of Keep Me Cowboy by Nicole Helm

Keep Me, Cowboy by Nicole Helm

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.75 out of 5 ~ Continuing on with my cowboy loving theme lately I found myself downloading a free copy of Keep Me Cowboy by Nicole Helm. Having just finished another I downloaded via Overdrive I jumped right into this one having loved her writing style. Keep Me Cowboy is part of a multi author series called Montana Born Rodeo (77th Copper Mountain Rodeo). Now normally I can’t handle reading things out of order in a series but generally what I’ve found happens with these types of multi author is they can be read separately or together. They normally don’t hinge plots through these types (but I’ve seen some that do). I have zero idea if that is what happens with this series and the plot flow does leave some questions that may indicate a follow through.

Keep Me Cowboy is a novella about Jess Clark and Cole McArthur. The McArthur name is a prominent name in Marietta, Montana and Cole is the black sheep of said family. Jess comes from a broken home, foster home after foster home finally landing at the door of the well to do McArthur family. Jess and Cole become friends and then typical teenage crush ensues. Cole leaves town abruptly and 10 years later Jess shows up on his doorstep looking to bring him home.

Jess has longed to belong to someone, anyone, who would love her and care about her and not leave or abandon her. Her biological father was abusive and her brother was “trouble”, they separated the siblings but she has been searching for him every since. Jess started building a relationship with Cole only to have it end suddenly. She didn’t know why people don’t stay with her.

Cole felt stifled by his family, wanting him to become a doctor and follow the medicine footsteps they felt he was destined to follow. He heard the call of the rodeo and answered. His big regret was leaving Jess behind. He felt he made the right choice 10 years ago by walking away but now he isn’t so sure. Can he be strong enough to not walk away again?

This novella, as most are, is too short to fully build a backstory for me. I wanted to know more about the why’s in the past not the quick build to getting people back together. The author does a pretty good job about trying to answer as many questions as she can but I’m still left with a bunch. I’m curious now if any of the novellas previously or future will address my questions.




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Review of Rebel Cowboy by Nicole Helm

Rebel Cowboy by Nicole Helm

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rebel Cowboy is book 1 in the Big Sky Cowboys series and also book 1 for me for author Nicole Helm. I am currently in a cowboy phase, ha, so I saw this on Overdrive and scooped it right up to read over. A Harley Davidson parked in between dusty pick up trucks always gets right to my soul.

Rebel Cowboy features a NHL player down on his luck named Dan Sharpe. He goes home to his family’s ranch to get his head back in the game and relax. Hires a ranch consultant named Mel Shaw and hope he can help get him started on his ranching ambition. Until it turns out Mel Shaw is a she NOT a he and she makes him start to think twice about everything. Can he ditch the bad attitude and bad reputation that follows him and show her who he truly is (if he even knows himself).

Mel Shaw is hanging on by a thread. She is so tired from holding it all together, the ranch, her dad, her brother, the family name; she doesn’t know how much more she can take. Enter an offer from a rich professional hockey player turned amateur rancher to help her guide him starting a ranch and it’s money she just can’t turn down. She wasn’t ready to see past the stereotypical jock jerk and get to know the honest man beneath. Will she drop her own guard and stereotype to let him see the real her? Does she even know who that girl is anymore?

Throw in abandonment issues, famous parent, self pity, secondary character issues and a llama and we are off and running. This book got me on all levels, I was laughing out loud, tearing up, turned on, researching llama care and routing for the both of them. I can’t wait to read the next books in the series and see how each character I’ve come to know finds what they are looking for. A great read from Nicole Helm and definitely now on my list of go to authors. Do yourself a favor and buy, rent, borrow Rebel Cowboy today.




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