ARC REVIEW Justified by Jay Crownover

 Loveless Texas #1, The first full length story, if you haven't read the prequel novella that's fine it's not required. Case Lawton was the golden boy in high school, but then his mother died, he got injured, lost his scholarship, and his girlfriend got pregnant. He joined the military and when he came back he became a Sheriff's Deputy and everyone just assumed he would follow in his father's footsteps. But everyone was wrong working under his abusive, prejudice, I-going-to-use-the-law-in-my-favor father gave Case the ammunition he needed to get his father out of the Sheriff's office and get elected himself and then he cleaned house.

Aspen Barlow always felt like she was the outsider, not having been born in Loveless and being different made her even more of an outcast. Only one person made her feel special in school, Case, he made a point to welcome her and include her in events she ended up falling in love with him. She watched as his life derailed but she never lost faith that he was a better man than his father. In order to protect Case and his son she made an enemy out of the man she once love and represented his wife in the divorce. Eight years later he is still holding a grudge but when he gets called to a break in at her office everything changes.

I loved this book! Being so new to Jay Crownover I haven't read any of the other books in which Case ties into but that's fine I really wasn't missing anything, except now I want to go and read more of her books. Told in duel first person POV you get both sides of the story and that really makes you want to smack Case at different points in the book because he basically made Aspen his scapegoat and when she finally calls him on it you want to pump your fist in the air and cheer her on. I got very attached to the characters, they felt so real and I am really looking forward to Kody's book!! I loved the pacing of the book and it was well balanced of emotional and suspense with just a smidge of humor, usually Kody. Overall, this book has definitely won me over, I am now a fan of Jay Crownover and I can't wait for my next fix.

ARC REVIEW The Summer House by Jenny Hale

A great summer romance from Jenny Hale. This is a light read, I read in about a day and it made me long for the beach. Callie and Olivia both needed a change so when the opportunity came up for them to buy the old bed and breakfast they have dreamed of buying since they were little girls they went all in. Callie has a hard time letting anyone in, after her father left and died before he could explain to her why and her Mother distancing herself away from Callie her best friend, Olivia, and Olivia's grandmother, Gladys, are the only two people she truly trusts. Running into the tabloid's favorite local playboy has her weary. Luke Sullivan has a different work style than his father which causes them to bump heads on more than one occasion he's determined to prove to his father that just because he'll run the company differently from him doesn't mean he won't be making money. Meeting Callie was like a breath of fresh air, he liked being with her and knew she liked him for who he was not what he could give her. But when Callie discovers a buried secret in the bed and breakfast everything changes.

Overall, this was such a good read, I didn't want to put it down. I loved all the characters, especially Gladys. The descriptive narrative really made me long for the beach, minus the hurricane. It's a slow burn romance with no explicit details and it get a bit emotional at parts but it really is a great summer read.     

Hometown Cowboy by Sara Richardson

 Rocky Mountain Riders #1, A great introduction to the series it's characters and town. A nice and easy read with fun characters and very little angst.

Jessa May Love just got dumped again, via text message, and worse he was her animal rescue's main sponsor so that means she needs to go out and find new donors. Which also means she needs to dress to impress luckily she has her mom and best friend help her find clothes that aren't khaki and covered in pet hair.

Lance Cortez has once more rodeo left in him, he needs to win the World Finals so he can retire on a positive note. Leaving the ranching stuff to the ranch hands he trains but he's starting to worry about his father he's getting on in age and is getting forgetful. His housekeeper already has enough on her platter so he can think of only one person to help out, Jessa.

Lance and Jessa strike up a deal she watch over Luis and move into the house and Lance will give her animal rescue half his earnings from the World Final. Lance and Jessa never previously had an excuse to to be around each other but the more time Lance spends with Jessa the more he likes her. Jessa likes being around Lance but she swore off men after her last fiasco of a break up too bad Lance isn't the kind of cowboy you can easily forget.

Overall, a really nice read. I liked the characters and the plot and how it all played out. I loved the setting and the descriptive narrative made it very easy to imagine the picturesque landscape. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.