Until Fountain Bridge by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This little novella is just perfect. It's sweet and sad at the same time. Seriously, I teared up once or twice while reading it. Ellie has been in love with Adam all her life but Adam being older brother Braden's best friend only sees her as Braden's little sister. But not for long.

This novella focuses of Adam and Ellie's story. I loved Ellie in On Dublin Street, and unlike other characters who were wonderful in one book then completely changes when the spotlight is on them, Ellie remained consistent. She's even more adorable here. Not kidding. She's innocent, funny, sweet but she's also feisty, loyal and loving. Seriously, she's one of my favorite heroines now.

Adam was a bit of a jerk in this book. He did some stupid things in this book that just makes me want to clobber him. He really did have his sweet and funny moments too, but boy, did he give a lot of mix signals to Ellie. Poor girl. Adam did redeem himself at the end but I wish the book was longer just so I could see Adam grovel a bit more.

We see a lot of big brother Braden here, too and yup, he's still wonderful. We also see a bit of Joss and we get to see their relationship through Ellie's eyes. Kudos to Ms. Young for seamlessly telling the story of Adam and Ellie's past while still being anchored in the present. Lots of funny moments and sad ones, too but overall, a wonderful addition to the series.

Thank you, Samantha Young for giving us Adam and Ellie's story.

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Review: Once Tempted

Once Tempted by Laura Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is my first book from this author and I can say that I really enjoyed this book. Despite the slow -- and I mean, really slow pace during the first half of the book, the action did pick up during the second half.

Once Tempted is a story about two people who were burned once by love and found true and lasting happiness with each other. Ward, son of the owner of Silver Creek Ranch, was engaged to Erica. He found out that all she really wants was his money when she ran off and broke their engagement. So Ward pretty much kept women at a safe distance and swore never to be duped again.

Tess, a widow, was trying to escape the painful truths about her brief marriage to her ex, David, who died of brain tumor. With the help of a blindfold, a map and her best friend, Tess landed in Silver Creek Ranch, directly in the path of Ward.

And this is where the book frustrated me a bit. The moment Ward and Tess met, there was no tension or chemistry between them whatever. Aside from their brief meeting, the first part of the book was pretty much devoted entirely to the nitty-gritty of running a working ranch to the point of being mundane. Sure, there were interactions interactions here and there between Ward and Tess but their chemistry didn't materialize for me until about halfway through the book. That was when the author finally put their story front and center. It was only then that I felt the chemistry between them. I did heave a sigh of relief when it happened because the moment it did, the story then became interesting.

I'm glad I stuck around long enough to finish the book because I would have missed a very satisfying love story between Ward and Tess. And it was satisfying in spite of its abrupt ending. I mean, an epilogue would have been great addition though. Overall, I would still recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light romantic read.

Review also posted here Ever Afters Book Blog


*This ARC was provided by Random House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



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