Monday, January 7, 2019

Isn't It Romantic?

Now or Never
Victoria Denault
Series: San Francisco Thunder, #4
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Forever Yours
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
From the bestselling author of the Hometown Players series comes a sexy romance about a bad boy hockey player who wants a second chance to win the heart of his high school crush.

All Winnie Braddock wants is a quiet place to be alone and time to heal her battered heart. But the refuge she'd hoped for in her family's summer cottage is destroyed when she gets there to find Holden Hendricks literally camped out in the driveway. He made her life hell when they were kids, and despite what he says, it doesn't look like much has changed. She doesn't care if her brother hired Holden to renovate the house this winter; she wants him gone.

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. Holden knows that hockey saying all too well. After all, he could have gone pro if he hadn't messed up so much as a kid. But now he's desperate to prove he's changed for the better, especially to Winnie Braddock. As the two work together to fix the cottage piece by piece, they realize that perhaps they can give each other the new beginning they've both been waiting for-if they're just willing to take the shot.
I have nothing but love for the Braddock family, and am sad to see it all end, but I am also glad to see Winnie taking back her life and finding her happy.

It appeared, that Winnie's withdrawal began with her father's illness, but it seems like she had problems in other areas of her life as well. It was advice from her father, which finally made her stop, take a hard look at herself, and start making decisions to get out of her rut and back to the land of the living. I am not going to say she went head-on into this whole new adventure. In reality, Winnie made a big decision, and then sort of wallowed in her grief, but then a little blast from her past gave her a push in the right direction.

Holden had been the resident bad boy. He had a mean disposition and knew how to push Winnie's buttons. He was back in his hometown looking to atone for his past and rebuild those relationships he had broken, back when he was an angry teen. Holden learned from his past, he learned from his mistakes, and he was ready to begin anew. He just needed the other people to believe that he had changed too.

Holden was definitely the star of this story for me. I have a special place in my heart for people, who have to fight back from the bottom, and Holden sort of had to do it all on his own. I could tell how hard he was working to earn back the trust and friendship from all those he alienated as he grappled with his grief and pain in his younger years. A stint in juvie and years of hard work made him a different man, and it pained me that so many people in his life couldn't believe he could change. It was quite gratifying to see so many things fall into place for him, and I especially loved that he got his HEA.

This book had so many elements, which made me happy. It was a hate-to-love-romance with a whiff of second-chance thrown in there. Winnie and Holden shared quite a past, and I adored all their history. Attraction is always great to see in a romance, but it was seeing something real and meaningful develop between Holden and Winnie, which really warmed my heart. Both had some past experiences, that cut them deeply, and this allowed them to see each other in a way many hadn't.

Other things I loved:
  • Finding out why Holden called Winnie "Larry" ❤️
  • Duke and Uncle Holden
  • The Braddock siblings
  • A wedding!!! 
  • Being in Maine
I have grown to love this family so much, and I will miss them, but I am really happy with the ending Denault gave them.

99 Percent Mine
Sally Thorne
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: William Marrow
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Crush: a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach…

Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy’s twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy’s best efforts, Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty—ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough.

When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade.

Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that's inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying—and it’s not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom’s heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.
I had a lot of emotions as I read this book, and in the end, if Darcy had taken my portrait, it would have looked a lot like this:


Many of the things, which made me love Thorne's previous book, The Hating Game, were present in this book. Great chemistry, snappy banter, some serious heat - it was all there, but what I really adored was the history the couple shared.

Darcy and Tom were childhood friends. I mean, Tom was practically her family's third child, and he remained close to Darcy's parents and her twin brother, who was considered Tom's best friend. It was love at first sight for Darcy, but she always felt that Tom belonged to her brother, and he was only about 1% her's. When Tom finally became a possibility, Darcy fled. She led this vagabond life, never letting herself love someone, because that "someone" would never be Tom. And THEN, fate intervened. Once again, Tom was a possibility, and this time, Darcy was determined to make him 99% her's, and I know I was rooting for her to make it happen.

I think my heart physically hurt, when I learned Darcy's thoughts regarding her unrequited love for Tom. Her feelings of longing and loss, when it came to him, were palpable. Imagine having to maintain contact with the one you will forever long for, the one you think you could never have. It was heartbreaking, and because of that and the fact that I grew to love both Darcy and Tom, I NEEDED them to finally act upon their feelings for one another.

I won't lie. It wasn't insta-love for me when it came to Darcy. She was quite hard and brash, and I was sort of buying into the picture her family painted of her. However, as the story played out, I learned a lot about her and started to understand why she was the way she was. She was sort of wild with many, many quirks, but, I will admit, her impulsiveness and lack of filter created some of the most hilarious moments in the book.

Now, Tom I loved from page one. Remember, I was seeing him through the eyes of a women, who has adored him for decades, so he definitely came across as a unicorn-man via Darcy. But, his actions backed up what Darcy was seeing, and let me tell you, he was all sorts of wonderful.

Why 4 instead of 5 stars? Once again, I would have loved to have the hero's point of view. I did feel like there was a lot of honest discussions between the two, so we weren't totally in the dark about how Tom felt, but his POV would have help present a clearer picture, when it came to certain things. I also felt like some of the side drama was detracting from the central focus, which was the push-and-pull romance between Darcy and Tom. However, I had the opportunity to share enough really special moments with those two, that more than made up for any wee thing that bothered me.

And, the ENDING! I was crying and smiling and I loved it so much. In fact, I have a huge grin on my face and some tears in my eyes, right now, as I relate this to you (see picture above). It was a good ending, and it has me wondering if maybe we will revisit this world. It seemed like there could be a story brewing for Darcy's brother, Jamie. Pssst, Sally Thorne, I would love to read that story.

Overall: Another solid romance from Thorne, which made me laugh, cry, swoon, and smile.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like friends-to-more romances?
Let us know in the comments!

30 comments:

  1. I'm completely unfamiliar with Denault so I'll definitely have to hit up GoodReads and check the series out. It's good to see that the new Thorne was a success - even if it wasn't quite a 5 star read. I'm embarrassed to say I *still* haven't read The Hating Game, despite having it gifted to me by a friend almost a year ago!

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    1. I liked The Hating Game, but I didn't love it in the way many people did. Great banter, lots of fun, but I wish I had the POV of the hero, which was sort of my same problem with 99 Percent. I still enjoyed the book, but I think a dual POV may have made it better for me, personally, because I am needy like that.

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    2. If that makes you needy then count me in, too. I looove a dual POV!

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    3. There were just things I wanted to be inside the hero's head for, you know

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  2. Hate to love and second chance? You know I'm in! I haven't read anything from Denault, so this will be a good place to start.
    And you know how I felt about 99 Percent. I'm sad it didn't work for me, but it is what it is.

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    1. I have read two of Denault's series. Both were good, but this one was more emotional because of the father's deterioration due to ALS. I really enjoyed it.

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  3. I've seen sooo much hype for 99 Percent Mine! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've never read anything by this author, but Darcy and Tom sound amazing!

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    1. The Hating Game was really popular, so I think there is a lot of anticipation for Thorne's new book. I though it was rather fun.

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  4. Ooooh and that's when my TBR became even longer than it already is! Maybe in the next book Sally will give you the male POV? ;-) Sophie @bewareofthereader

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    1. I think I am just partial to dual POVs or omniscient narrator. The single POV let's me into the one person's head, but leaves me wondering about the other person, who is also the star of the story.

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  5. I was not the hugest fan of THG (and everyone else completely loved it) so not sure about this one. Also someone (Nick?) whose taste I usually agree with said something in a review that gave me pause. I'm the black sheep on this totally!!
    Jen Ryland Reviews

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    1. I see a lot of polarized opinions when it comes to rom-coms, and I feel like if you don't share the author's sense of humor, you really can't enjoy the book. I remember a reviewer talking about how things other people think are funny are not funny to her, and I can totally understand that hampering your enjoyment of a book that is supposed to be funny.

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  6. I'm not familiar with either author. Thanks for the introductions.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. This is only my second Thorne books (only her second book too), but I have read a bunch by Denault. She is one of my hockey romance writers, and she tends to plan her series around siblings, which I love.

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  7. Great double reviews you have shared here. I am looking forward to reading both books!!! I haven't read Victoria Denault but I love a good second chance romance.

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    1. I have read two Denault series, both good, but this one just was a lot more emotional for me.

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  8. 99 Percent Mine sounds really good - I love the history between the two main characters!

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    1. I guess 99 Percent Mine is rom-com-y, so if you're not into humor, it may not be for you, but I enjoyed it and laughed a lot.

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  9. Now or Never sounds like my kind of book. It's always bittersweet to see a series ending, but I am glad you enjoyed it so much. I totally agree with what you said about Holden -- I love characters who fight from the bottom to get to where they are and they DESERVE a HEA. Just like the people who do that in real life do too. And weddings in books make me far too happy. Weddings in general make me feel way too much happiness hahaha. There was a promise of a wedding in a romance I just read and I was already a mess :P

    I need to read The Hating Game!! I even have it on my kindle. I am glad this one brought through a lot of the elements you enjoyed about her previous book though, and made a great track history between the characters as well x

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    1. Now or Never was a little bit of a departure for the series, but it should have been expected with the way that sister was presented throughout the series. There was another wedding in an earlier book, which was really emotional, because this family was dealing with their dying father, but it was beautifully done. I liked The Hating Game. It was fun. If that's what you're looking for, give it a peek.

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  10. I am envious -- I've been having a horrible time settling down on a book and these make such a lovely duo -- so satisfying and it took you on a roller coaster of emotions.

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    1. I never seem to have a problem finding something to read. Since I decided to just read what I want, and not feel like I have to read outside of my zone, I have been winning at the reading game.

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  11. These sounds like another set of amazing books! I haven't heard of them before now. I will have to add these to my list. I like second chances that are thrown in and hero's. Have a wonderful week.

    Mary

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    1. I read a ton of romance, and second chance romances are among my favorites!

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  12. Now or Never sounds amazing, the summary alone has me wanting to read but your review has me throwing my money at the screen. I think I would be the same when it comes to Holden, I love seeing someone fighting to make people seem them in a new light and apologise for past mistakes.

    99 Percent Mine has me dithering, I trust Nick when it comes to books so I'm wary but so many other bloggers, like you, have enjoyed it so much. I feel like I need to give it a go but I might see if my library can get it in... just in case.

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    1. SF Thunder was just a really emotionally satisfying series for me. I adore this family. I like rom-coms. I think it's tricky when it comes to humor, because different people find different things funny. I loved Josh & Hazel and there were people who hated it, but also a ton of people who adored it.

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  13. I'm so excited to finally read Now or Never, I've had an eARC of it for a while but I keep putting it off because I don't want the series to end! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this book, and that it's a good ending to the series.

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    1. I loved this family, and I will miss them. Confession: I still haven't read book 1. I had ARCs of books 2 - 3, but still need to buy book 1.

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  14. I loved Now or Never! I will be posting my review next week but I thought that Winnie and Holden were perfect together. I have seen some mixed reviews for 99 Percent Mine so I am happy to see that you liked it. I think I want to get a copy of the audio for that one.

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    1. I loved all the books! That series was so good. I just love rooting for an underdog and Holden more than deserved my cheers. I will say that it took me a while to get into 99 Percent Mine, because Darcy was really angsty, but the more I learned, the more I liked it. I also feel rom-coms don't work for everyone, because if you don't find the the author's humor funny, it could grate on your nerves.

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