Author: Corinne Michaels

Item: Forbidden Hearts
Rating: 3
Author: Jen

BOOK REVIEW: Forbidden Hearts (Whitlock Family #1) by Corinne Michaels

June 11, 2023 / Jen / 1 Comment

Forbidden Hearts (Whitlock Family #1)
by Corinne Michaels
Purchase on: Amazon

Synopsis:
First rule of being a nanny? Don’t fall for the single dad, even if he is smoking hot.

But that’s exactly what happens when grumpy small-town sheriff Asher Whitlock reluctantly hires me to take care of his daughter for the summer. Neither of us is thrilled with the arrangement, but he’s desperate for help, and I need the money for grad school this fall.

All we need to do is keep our distance and remain professional . . . turns out, that’s easier said than done.

Instead of focusing on my future, all I see is the strong jawline, crystal-blue eyes, and rock-hard body right in front of me. We try to resist each other, but we end up crossing every line until I’m in his bed.

I tell myself it’s just this once.

Okay, twice.

All right, every night.

But it’s got to end–he’s fourteen years older than me, with a kid and a stressful job. Have I mentioned my dad is his boss? Then there’s the past I’m trying to forget. Secrets aren’t easy to keep and mine are getting too big to hide.

Walking away is never simple but when I do, I can’t look back.

Even if it means leaving behind the man I was never meant to love.

Review:

We can have this, even if only for a little while.”

Forbidden Hearts was a heartwarming, small town romance. With the grumpy sunshine, age gap, and nanny boss tropes, I was so excited to dive into this story. Olivia was hired to be a nanny for Asher’s daughter, which gave her a second chance. Asher was a sheriff who worked for her dad and years ago there was a mishap when Olivia was babysitting Phoebe. She was now able to prove that she had grown up, and would do right by his daughter. Plus there was a lot going on in Olivia’s personal life. So I was cheering for her to get what felt like a fresh start. She had a lot to figure out in her life for where she was going to go from there.

I hoped they’d get along, but the intention was never for Phoebe to seep into our lives, filling the cracks we didn’t know existed.
But that’s what she’s doing.

At the beginning of the story, I enjoyed the tension between Asher and Phoebe. They butted heads and didn’t get along at all. It was impossible not to smile and laugh with the banter between the two of them. Especially since they were both attracted to each other and the chemistry was done so fabulously. The only thing they seemed to have in common was to care for Asher’s daughter, Phoebe. So I cheered when we got to watch Olivia defend Phoebe. My heart burst with her love and compassion towards his little girl. But as the story went on, I lost that connection to both Asher and Olivia. The story wrapped up with a beautiful HEA, so here’s hoping if you pick this one you keep that connection every step of the way.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Help Me Remember by Corinne Michaels

May 22, 2023 / Jen / 4 Comments

Help Me Remember by Corinne Michaels
Purchase on: Amazon

Synopsis:
In one second, my life disappeared.

My past. My memories. My future.

The only certainty I have from the last three years is that my older brother is dead, and I am the only eyewitness.

In order to protect the case, the lawyers demand that no one give me any information about my life . . . I must remember on my own. My only help comes from my brother’s best friend and world-renowned investigative reporter, Spencer Cross.

He has no idea how many nights I’ve spent dreaming of his name—and his body—next to mine.

Now we’re a team and our goal is to recover my memories and retrace my past. But each day we spend together, he’s looking at me as more than his friend’s little sister and I find it harder to want my old life back. Instead I’m wishing for a new one—with him. His kiss feels like home. His arms make me feel safe, and I never want this to end.

As my memories return, forcing me to face my future, everything falls apart... especially when I find an engagement ring hidden in my apartment. I have no idea who gave it to me, or what it means about my past.

I may have asked Spencer to help me remember, but now I wish I could forget.

Review:

Help Me Remember was an adult romance that had so much potential. This story had me instantly liking the characters, story-line and suspense. When Brielle woke up in the hospital, she learned that her brother was murdered and she was the only eye witness. She couldn’t remember the last 3 years of her life, and those around her weren’t allowed to tell her anything to fill in the gaps. So as not to compromise the case. I loved the premise and that we got to piece the clues together with Brielle. I already had so many guesses within the first few chapters. Spencer was her brother’s best friend who was always around. His actions and words made it seem like he cared for her more than her brother’s other best friends. So my heart broke for Spencer. For the loss he was currently consumed with. By not only losing his best friend but possible the woman he loved forgetting him. Or at least that’s how I was hoping the pieces would land together.

“You were never forgotten. Not by the people who loved you.”
“I know that.”
“Not by me,” I say softly.
His eyes find mine, and the way he’s staring at me has my throat going dry. I would swear he wants to kiss me, which is crazy because Spencer doesn’t look at me that way and we have never kissed . . . well, not like that.

The sexual tension between Brielle and Spencer was sigh worthy. They felt right together, it was as though they were meant to be together. And Spencer was someone who readers will adore. He was protective, caring, kind and oh so patient. So as Brielle’s got flashes and moments of her memory trickling back to her, I was so excited. I desperately wanted to know how Spencer fit into her past. And what they truly were to each other. Plus I was scared that the killer was still out there and could target her. But by two thirds into this story, my struggles became too glaring. I understood that those around her weren’t allowed to answer questions about her past. But I wish they would have evaded or said I can’t answer that question, instead of just lying to her face. Every single time that happened, it bothered and hurt me. And by then I also struggled with some of the choices that Brielle made. While I wanted to shake her a few times, when she pulled a TSTL move I knew I was done trying to make excuses for why she did what she did. There was no coming back from that. And my heart was sad because this was a story I could get lost in. So while Help Me Remember didn’t work for me, hopefully it’ll be a better fit for you!

BOOK REVIEW – We Own Tonight by Corinne Michaels

February 15, 2018 / Arielle / 0 Comments

BOOK REVIEW – We Own Tonight by Corinne Michaels We Own Tonight by Corinne Michaels
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

From New York Times Bestseller, Corinne Michaels, comes a sexy new STANDALONE romance novel.

I’m not a one-night stand kind of woman. I’m especially not the woman who has a few drinks at a concert and ends up in bed with my childhood celebrity crush, Eli Walsh.

However, that’s exactly where I find myself.

What’s a girl to do after a drunken mistake? Run. I grab my clothes and get away from the powerful, irresistible, and best-sex-of-my-life superstar as fast as I can. His gorgeous green eyes, rock-hard body, and cocky smile have no place in my world. My life is complicated enough.

Someone forgot to tell him that.

Eli is relentless. Pushing his way into my heart, wearing me down, proving he’s nothing like I assumed, and everything I need. But when my world shatters to pieces, he holds the broken bits together. Unwillingly, I fall desperately in love with him.

He made me think we’d have forever . . . I should’ve listened when he said we could only own tonight.

Review:

“It’s not a line. It’s you. I can’t explain it, but you’re all I think about. The way you hide your face from me when you’re unsure of yourself. How your smile makes my heart stop, and how even now, with speckles of paint on your face, you take my breath away. Don’t you see? I tried to stay away, but I keep finding myself back here.”

Mmm I am very torn on this book. I finished it last night and have since decided on rating it a 3.5. The tricky thing about these books and these characters is that while there were a lot of *different* aspects for me, there was also a lot of run-of-the-mill plot points and characteristics, too. There were times that I was tearing up and had giddiness fizzing up inside of me..but then other times were I found myself skimming through cheesy lines and the steamy scenes—which is never a good sign lol. It was in no way bad, but I wouldn’t say that I would consider it a great romance either by any means.

I tell myself, and everyone else, that there’s nothing here, but when he’s close, I can’t pretend. Eli breathes life into a heart that was deflated.

We start the generic plot line with there being a famous musician, Eli, who was/is still part of a boy band that was huge back in the day and who currently is doing a reunion tour with the rest of his band members. Other MC, Heather, is dragged to the concert by her best friend (thought it isn’t that much of a hardship because she’s had a HUGE crush on Eli since the band was first popular. Of course, the group of girl friends have front row tickets and OF COURSE the two lock eyes. She’s called on stage, serenaded by Eli, and is asked to join him backstage….we can all guess what happens. Sexy times and then she runs from him. WHICH NEVER HAPPENS TO THIS SEX PANTHER! Lol but really. Obviously the fact that she ran piqued his interest enough for him to chase after her and I think we all can guess what happens after….the pursuit.

As I’m typing this I realize I’m making it sound worse that it was but you know, it did take me an abnormally long time to finish so I guess there were some parts that really just didn’t rub me the right way *shrug*.

Being vulnerable is a scary thing. It’s hard to give anyone, let alone Eli, unfettered access to my biggest fear. I’ve been alone for a long time, and I’ve learned to handle it. This, though? I have no idea how to handle. Having a taste of Eli’s affection is enough to make me an addict.

The biggest part of this book that was different to me (based solely on the romances that I normally read) was their ages. Both of them were either late thirties or early forties and had obviously *lived* more than me. They had seen a divorce, a failed engagement, and just weren’t immature and dealing with issues that I normally see in the books that I read. There was also a pretty unique storyline about Heather taking care of a sister with Huntington’s and maybe another illness of some kind. I loved seeing how nurturing Heather was and it completely made sense why she was as vulnerable as she was. Other things going on with Eli, along with that older age also made it realistic that he was as sweet and as caring for her as he was. I mean, yeah it all happened so fast but they also weren’t in the beginnings of figuring out who they were as adults. Like I said, I understood it BUT there were also many times where their words of passion just kind of had me rolling my eyes. I love my husband with all of my heart and he is 100% my soul mate and I am a HUGE romantic BUTTTT there’s no way in hell I could imagine us having those conversations together lol. Too too much.

Now don’t go reading all of this and dismiss this book. It is good. It does touch on subjects like illness in the family and how hard and demanding being a caretaker can be. (I had an uncle who had Down Syndrome that lived with us for three years after my grandma died and I saw firsthand how much of a toll it took on my mom, even though we LOVED having him with us). The writing was good and the dialogue was well written, it just overall wasn’t my complete cup of tea!

“More. I want more.”
“And what if you realize I’m not worth more?”
He shakes his head. “What if you’re worth it all?”