♥ NOT WHAT I EXPECTED ♥ Jewel E. Ann ♥

 

• 6 December 2020
• standalone women's fiction-ish☺

★★★★
4 Stars
(would've been 5 Stars, but there was just way too much religion!)

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller Jewel E. Ann redefines modern romance with this unforgettable enemies to lovers story.

Genres: Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Holiday, Single Parent, Secret Romance, Smalltown, Starting Over

Are humans meant to mate for life?

After four kids and an unfortunate but fateful end to her twenty-two-year marriage, Elsie Smith meets the new guy in town.

Kael Hendricks is … a little younger, a lot sexy, and too confident for his own good. He also doesn’t believe in marriage and all that goes with it.

And …

He’s just opened a new business that threatens the livelihood of Elsie’s family’s store—just in time for the holidays.

The problem?

There’s an undeniable attraction that leads to out of control situations, a loss of inhibitions, and a lot of small town gossip.

As Elsie tries to redefine herself and convince her family she isn’t having a midlife crisis, she’s forced to answer the biggest question of all …

Can she love an enemy who will never surrender?

Ten months ago Elsie was a married mother of four. All but one of her kids were already in college. Twenty two years of marriage. Enough money, good friends.
But she wasn't really happy. Not at all.

And now? Now she's a single 42 year old with a crush on her sexy and younger business rival across the street! 

What will happen with Elsie and Kael?
Will there be a HEA???
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT! ☺

ADORABLE!

I'm always a bit scared when something says WOMEN'S FICTION. That doesn't sound like something I would love.

But this was adorable.

Well, maybe not the first chapter. ☺ That was sad and heartbreaking.
But definitely the budding romance between Elsie and Kael.

The romance is not the main part of this book though. It's more about a woman in her early forties and how she survives after everything that happened in her life - and is still happening.

It's about friends and kids and in-laws and small-town living with all its gossip and whatnot.

I loved reading it.

There was a lot religion in here - I hate that. I really hate everything religious. But that's what you get when you read a story set in a small US town. Sadly. It was just way too much church-going, talk about faith, bible, god. Way too much. The book could've been amazing without any of that religious stuff in it. The way it is - it's christian women's fiction. And I hate that it doesn't say anywhere that there would be so much religion in here. I wouldn't have read it. And that's why this only gets four stars instead of five!

BUT - I did read it. And I loved Elsie and Kael. Didn't much like most of her kids and the town's people and the whole church stuff obviously.

But it was a really cute love story.

It was funny, sweet, adorable, snowy, christmasy. Kael was just amazing. A bit too free-spirit-y for my tastes, but just such a kind and sweet and amazing guy.

It was a beautiful romance!

Wouldn't mind seeing this on Netflix one day soon!

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED was a beautiful & adorable & funny & snowy & very emotional second-chance-at-love romance! ☺
Run to your nearest amazon for your own Kael - this one is MINE! ☺

 

↓ LINKS TO THE BOOK AND AUTHOR ↓

Other Books by Jewel

↑ CLICK ↑

  

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LIFE Duet - Book #1

Book #2

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.

When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

✪ WHERE WE WENT WRONG ✪ Kelsey Kingsley ✪

© ✰ Bianca ✰ 

• 4 December 2020
• standalone dramance
• Daisies & Devin Spin-Off
(Devin's Drummer's Son's brother-in-law!)

★★★★

 4 Stars

 

Vinnie Marino has lived a hard life.

Between suffering from abandonment, drug addiction, and tragedy, he can't imagine how things could get any worse. Until his father is diagnosed with a terminal disease, giving him only a few months to live.

Vinnie's world is turned completely upside down, and it's becoming harder to keep it together and stay sober.

His only saving grace is the unique and beautiful Andy Bennett. But Andy has a secret, one that could change everything.

Soon, Vinnie begins to wonder ...

Could his only saving grace be his biggest downfall? 

We already met Vinnie in the last book. He's a pizza baker in his dad's pizza place in Manhattan.

The mom left the family when the three kids were very small. Vinnie and his brother Zach were a bit lost during their younger years. Drugs, alcohol et cetera. Things are good now though. Zach found his happily ever after with Greyson and their sister is happily married with two kids too.

But now dad is having problems. Health-wise.

Plus there's this nurse who is showing up everywhere ...

Andrea. She's the nurse. She's also different. Bruce Willis movie different if you know what I mean. And I don't mean the Yippie Ka Yay one. ☺

Andrea is super attracted to Vinnie. She's drawn to him for some reason.
But two people with so much difficulties in their life shouldn't be together, right?

We'll see ....

Let the fun and not so fun times begin ...

Welllll. Hehehe.

Uhm. Yup.

Things.

There are things in this book that I do not want to read about.

I'm not a religious or spiritual person at all. I hate everything religious.

And even though it's not really religious ... it's still going in that direction.

And I hate that. The moment I first realized it, I wanted to delete the book from my kindle. BUT ... it's a Kelsey Kingsley book. And I've read ALL her books. Plus it's set in the Devlin-Greyson world - which I love. So I read it. And I loved it. I cried a lot. And I rolled my eyes a lot at the things.

But I really liked it.
There were a couple of other kinda hard-limits that I don't want in my books: drugs and a guy hitting a girl! So with all those things you'd think I would've hated the book ... but I didn't.

I loved it.

I could keep on writing about all the things I loved and hated and cried about but I'll just stop here. You need to read it to see if it's for you - it won't be for everyone ... but give it a chance. It's beautiful. And horrible and sad and heartbreaking and a bit silly - but I enjoyed reading it. Finished it in one day!

WHERE WE WENT WRONG was an utterly heartbreaking but so very beautiful love story.
Run to your nearest amazon for your own Vinnie - he'll be sold out in no time! And get some extra boxes of tissues while you're there!

↓ LiNKS TO THE BOOK & AUTHOR ↓

 

Greyson's book

Greyson's dad's book

  

Daisies & Devin

  

Holly Freakin' Hughes

  

When I was a wee lassie, I was told by my preschool teachers that I was a natural at storytelling. When I was just a little older than that, an old friend's mother said to me, "Kelsey, one day your books are going to be on the shelves at the library." 

Well, Diane, I don't know if my books are ever going to be on the shelves of libraries, but I'm sure as hell going to try. 

When I'm not writing stories destined to be bestsellers, I enjoy devouring TV shows, listening to every type of music there is and going to concerts, reading pretty much anything (with a soft spot for romance and certain books located in 18th century Scotland), obsessing over makeup, and pretending to workout. 

I also have a fondness for cats, my family, tattoos, and a really good French fry.