Reviews – Page 77 – Sincerely Karen Jo

CCTOUR

Hello bookaholics! Welcome to my Blog Tour stop for Courting Carlyn by Melissa Chambers hosted by Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours. I’m really excited to share my review with you and hopefully when you’re done reading my thoughts and feelings, you’ll end up falling in love with Carlyn and Vaughn like I did.

COURTING CARLYN by Melissa Chambers

Publication Date: August 6, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Sports, Romance

Vaughn Yarborough is ready to trade the fame and glory of the international junior pro tennis circuit for college and a more settled life. First stop: spearhead a summer camp for underprivileged kids. The girl who’s agreed to run it with him has Vaughn more intrigued by the minute, but with the strict no-fraternizing rules, he’s got to figure out how not to fall for her.

When the boy Carlyn Sadowski has crushed on for years asks her to work with him for the summer, she has to pinch herself. When his world-famed coach offers her training for free, she can’t believe her luck. He could actually help her follow in her mother’s footsteps by playing college tennis. But when she finds out the catch is she’s got to convince Vaughn to go pro, Carlyn will have to decide between her dreams and the boy currently stealing her heart.

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reviewrating

4halfhearts

Smashingly Addictive, Swoontastic, and Summery Funtastic

reviewthoughts

You guys… this book was just so adorable and touching! It was lighthearted, humorous, entertaining, and delightfully heartwarming. I smiled the entire time reading this novel and believe it or not, I even had a few drop of tears.

When I saw Courting Carlyn on Netgalley, I was instantly interested in reading it because my boyfriend plays and loves tennis. He isn’t pro cause he started late, but I think he’s pretty damn good. He also tried to teach me a few times, but my coordination is not that great. I just do a lot of watching and from time to time, hit the ball over the net to help my boyfriend warm-up. Anyway, I just have to say that watching my boyfriend play is really sexy, hot, and thrilling. I may be biased, but honestly watching tennis matches is incredibly intense. I’ve seen a few live matches at Indian Wells and it was utterly exhilarating! So, of course I couldn’t pass up reading this book. Not to mention the forbidden romance between two rising teen tennis players in a summer camp setting just sounded so fun and seemed like the perfert summer book.

And you know what… Melissa Chambers had me hooked from the very beginning and my oh my… This book totally ACED EVERYTHING I enjoy in contemporary romances. The writing style was superb and fantastically engaging. I really enjoyed both the POVs. The plot was really entertaining and had plenty of action, thrills, swoons, and kisses. The characters were really likable and a lot of fun. I absolutely adored Carlyn and Vaughn. I loved their easy going and adoringly cute chemistry. They were just so darn precious and their sweet moments together had me smiling like a fool… a fool in love with this story. The romance…completely loved it!! So deliciously fun and wonderfully developed. And the ending was absolutely perfect… Really really love this book. I was expecting to have some fun reading this, but it was also surprisingly emotional and gave me a good warm feeling in my heart.

I fell so hard for Carlyn and Vaughn and enjoyed all their scenes together. Vaughn was athletic, hard-working, funny, and definitely a more than meets the eye kind of guy. I loved his confidence and his gentle sweet side was just too adorable! He definitely made my heart melt and had me swooning. Carlyn was very relatable and I really enjoyed her character development. She’s very smart, a little sassy, quite funny and just someone I see myself being friends with in high school. They just fit so well together and like I said, their chemistry was just so amazing. Watching them try not to fall for each other was also nostalgic for me. I don’t want to give too much away, but there was a scene with pillows that my boyfriend and I totally did when we first met. There were so many sweet moments that I just can’t… these two are sooo cute together!

I also really liked the side characters and relationships in the book. Fred and Nancy were great and the ending scene with them was just so heartwarming. Carlyn’s father should get the Father of the Year award for trying to be supportive, loving, and the best father he can be. Jeffrey may come off a bit selfish, but his intentions were good and he really cared about Vaughn. I also liked how Trinity and Carlyn got along so well and the kids at the summer camp were all quite interesting and fun too.

This book was smashingly addictive, wonderfully thrilling and such an adorably sweet summery YA contemporary romance that will have you zooming through the pages. I truly had a fantastic experience reading Courting Carlyn and can’t recommend it enough.

I most definitely told my boyfriend about this book.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher and author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

authorbio2

Melissa-Chambers

Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She serves as president for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of the Love Along Hwy 30A series and the Before Forever series (YA).

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Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Thanks for stopping by loves! I hope you get to meet Carlyn and Vaughn and join them on their adorable journey to finding friendship, following their dreams, and falling in love.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

bookreview

magicofwinter

aboutthebook2

Published December 12th 2017 by Mayfair Publishing

Genre(s): Adult Fiction, Historical Romance, Contemporary

Kindle Edition 259 Pages

Just as a hard winter offers the promise of renewal in the spring, the MAGIC OF WINTER is a beautiful reminder that letting go of the past can allow the future to bloom its brightest. Award-winning author Martina Boone spins a heartwarming modern love story about loss and hope, fathers and daughters, fierce women and men men in kilts, small towns and big ambitions.

Cait Fletcher was always second-string in her father’s eyes, unable to compete with her perfect older brother. Her father’s view of Cait only deteriorated further when she fell for the local “bad boy” at the age of nine, and her belief in Brice MacLaren never once wavered until the day he betrayed her a few months before their wedding. With their tiny glen too full of opinionated neighbors, wandering sheep, ancient grudges, and countless old traditions to let her escape either her past or her mistakes. She moved away–but then her father’s unexpected illness brings her back.

Home again, Cait still loves the village of Balwhither as much as she hates it, and she despises the fact that life in the village makes avoiding Brice impossible. But when she discovers that her father has given up not only on the family-run Library and Tea Room but also on treatment for his cancer, she must put her own emotions and hurts aside. Brice claims he’s changed, and he’s certainly been good to her father since she left. Now can they find a way to work together as she follows the example of countless unsung heroes–the women of the Highlands–and fights to save the family business and give her father something meaningful to live for?

A warm, timeless story of love, redemption, and magical traditions that will charm new readers and fans of the Celtic Legends Collection alike. Perfect for those who love Nora Roberts, Susan Mallery, Susan Wiggs, Sarah Addison Allen, Lauren K. Denton, and Kathryn Hughes.

AMAZON – KOBO

reviewrating 4halfhearts

Beautifully Affecting, Heartfelt and Absolutely Charming

reviewthoughts

It felt so good to be back in Balwhither Glen… like having that wonderful feeling of coming home from a very long vacation and being comforted by everything that makes you happy. “Home is where the heart is,” and that’s how I feel whenever I read Boone’s stories.

“But that was the point of first love — trial and error, and learning to navigate the hardest and best and most important relationships of your life. “

Lake of Destiny is definitely still my favorite, but like Bell of Eternity, Magic of Winter had me intrigued until the end. I really love Martina Boone’s writing style and feel so connected with her stories and characters. It’s just so beautifully affecting, heartfelt and absolutely charming. Boone writes with so much passion and care, and it really shows in her novels. Granted, I’ve only read three, but they’re all so fantastic, riveting, and just magical. But hey, don’t take my word for it, just experience it for yourself and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

“But here in the glen, the winters are a reminder that, as bleak and dark as life can seem, we’ll get through it. There’s beauty in the worst of things.”

It goes without saying that I absolutely enjoyed the plot which was well-paced, engaging, and filled with heartbreaking and sweet tender moments. The romance was wonderfully slow burn and the swoons were plenty. I loved that even though this book wasn’t focused on the romance, there were still many scenes that melted my heart. The family dynamics were complicated and at times insanely dramatic, but so very interesting. I thought the community in the glen was just adorable. And the characters… they were amusing, realistic and utterly lovable. I honestly want to live in this world and meet all these amazing characters.

“She had loved him for most of her life, but somewhere along the line she had fallen in love with him in a single heartbeat, so quickly that she couldn’t name the moment or reason. Thinking of all the old doubts, the old fears, she realized that not one of them mattered. “

Cait was likable — smart, headstrong, and caring. Brice was such a sweetheart and so irresistibly swoony! I really enjoyed their chemistry and ached along with them throughout their struggles. I also admired everything they were doing for the people they love. But man oh man… the things Brice did for Cait was just so thoughtful, romantic and adorably sweet. I definitely fell hard for him. Actually…if I’m being honest, with these amazing male leads in the Celtic Legends Series, I’m not so sure I can pick a favorite. They’re all swoonworthy in their own charming ways.

“That was the other side of love, a promise that two people made to each other to weather whatever came, day by day and moment by moment. “

With a gorgeous setting, fantastic cast of characters you can’t help but love, intriguing family dynamics, a wee bit of romance to make you swoon, and moments that will make you smile and brighten your day, Martina Boone has created another beautiful and affecting story about family, friendship, second chances, hope and love. If Lake of Destiny filled my heart with so much happy, and Bell of Destiny left me positively satisfied, well…Magic of Winter lifted my spirits and inspired me to focus on the good and beautiful parts of life. So, when you think everything seems to be going wrong, just have faith cause there might just be a surprise waiting for you.

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.”

I finished reading this book with a smile on my face and a wonderful feeling in my heart. On to the next book – Echo of Glory.

I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, opinions, and warm fuzzies are my own.

booksintheseries

lakeofdestiny

Lake of Destiny – Martina Boone’s gorgeous storytelling enthralled me from start to finish. The plot is captivating, whimsical, and full of surprises that kept me turning the pages. There’s no doubt in my mind that Martina knows just the perfect recipe for a heartwarming story – Start with a bunch of lovable characters and a heaping scoop of romance. Add in a pound of family drama, an ounce of heartbreak, a dash of myth, a drop of mystery and a pinch of suspense. Blend together with a lot of love and humor in a breathtaking setting. While mixing, sprinkle creativity and magic and voila! You get a wonderfully sweet fairy-tale love story that will fill your hearts with so much happy you’ll be craving for more.

bellofeternity

With a heartwarming storyline, breathtaking scenery, intrigue, and a bit of mystery, Bell of Eternity is absolutely irresistible and deliciously fascinating from start to finish. While Lake of Destiny filled my heart with so much happy, Bell of Destiny left me positively satisfied, but craving for more. I’m so happy I took a bite of this lovely romance. Boone definitely knows the way to my heart and I cannot wait for the next book in the Celtic Legends Series.

authorbio2

Martina-Final-6-768x768 Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She’s the award-winning author of the romantic Southern Gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, including Compulsion, Persuasion, and Illusion, from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and of romantic fiction for adult readers starting with Lake of Destiny. She’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site dedicated to encouraging literacy and reader engagement through a celebration of series literature. She’s on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and runs the CompulsionForReading.com program to distribute books to underfunded schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog, and a lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she loves to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate-flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it. (Short Bio taken from Author’s Website)

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