When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel ~ Review

When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel ~ Review

by | Dec 7, 2020 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance

When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel

As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclaimer for more details.

Three reasons you should read this Sweet Young Adult Romance:

  • When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel is a second-chance romance that rings true to life.
  • Jenny Collins regrets so many things, and she is forced to face them when she returns home – and she faces them well.
  • This second-chance isn’t because someone did the unthinkable or horrible thing. And I enjoyed that it allowed both characters to grow into their relationship in a natural way.

About When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel

Title: When You Were Mine
Author: Alessa Martel
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel

High school sweethearts. One night of heartbreak.

Michael and I used to be inseparable, but a devastating moment during a summer party after high school graduation brought our relationship to a painful stop. I avoided spending winter break from my freshman year in college back in my small town, but summer is closing in, looming like a dark cloud on the horizon. Returning home means facing Michael and the ruins of our relationship, but my fearful heart still aches over the future I always assumed we would share. 

When my younger sister reveals that Michael is rumored to be engaged, I realize that I’m not ready to give him up. He’s moved on, with a beautiful fiancée who seems to make him happy, but can I stand by and ignore the love I still hold in my heart for him?

My Review of When You Were Mine:

When You Were Mine by Alessa Martel is a sweet second-chance romance between two high school sweethearts. Jenny and Michael were always the perfect couple. The one everyone expected to marry and have kids. Neither one saw the mix-up that would tear them apart.

Jenny and Michael are forced to face each other when she returns home from college for the summer. The whole town is abuzz with the news that Michael is engaged. And everyone is watching to see how Jenny will react. 

I have to admire Jenny’s determination to go about her life and ignore all the watchers. She wants to do her job and get back to school. But Michael and his life seem to be everywhere she turns.

As Jenny realizes how much she missed him, she finds out his fiance is an amazing person. And she actually enjoys being her friend. So what is she going to do?

When You Were Mine really felt like a real story to me. Real teenage emotions and decisions that aren’t always correct. Wondering if that second-chance is worth grabbing or better passing it up. Jenny and Michael are both characters I only wanted to see happy in the end.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Pick up your copy today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

More Young Adult Novels

Talk Derby to Me by RH Tucker
Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn
Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson
Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington ~ Review

Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington ~ Review

by | Dec 4, 2020 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance

Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington

As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclaimer for more details.

Three reasons you should read this Sweet Christmas Romance:

  • Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington is all about connections – towns’ people, caretakers, and romantic – this book covers them all.
  • The kids in this story plan a part just big enough that I fell in love with them, but they didn’t steal the show from our main couple.
  • The problem Ainsley faces is a very real one, and while Nick is somewhat of a savior figure, I have no doubt Ainsley could have come out on to without him – it was just a little easier with some help.

About Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington

Title: Making Christmas Magic
Author: Rachel Carrington
Series: Spirit of Christmas #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas

Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington

Sometimes, Christmas magic comes in mysterious ways.

Ainsley Beck is dedicated to the orphanage she runs and the twelve kids that are her responsibility. Sure, the house could use a lot of repairs, but it’s hers. That is, she believes it is until a handsome doctor arrives at her doorstep three days before Christmas to tell her that he’s just inherited the property…and it’s in foreclosure.

In spite of his intentions when he arrived in the small town of Broadway, after meeting Ainsley, Nick Riordan isn’t in any hurry to evict her. After all, it is Christmas. And his sudden change of heart has nothing to do with the immediate attraction he feels for her.

When a greedy lawyer throws a wrench into Nick’s plans and devastates Ainsley, he has to come up with a fallback plan to get Ainsley to trust him again before he loses much more than real estate.

My Review of Making Christmas Magic:

Making Christmas Magic by Rachel Carrington was an amazing story. I love it when the primary source of conflict isn’t necessarily a person (although there is a major jerk in the story that certainly doesn’t help). In this case, the main conflict is a house about to enter foreclosure. And this isn’t just any house. It’s an orphanage that is barely hanging on.

When Nick (the newly inherited owner) tells Ainsley the situation, she’s devastated. But Nick is going to try and save the day. Even if his lawyer thinks it’s a horrible idea.

Nick won me over with a snowball fight. When you get there you’ll know exactly what I mean. It was the moment I really started thinking of him as the hero of the story. And I think Ainsley might have seen a little bit of that as well.

But something needs to be done – and quickly – before the bank takes over the house and Ainsley and her crew of kids are left looking for a new place to live. And at Christmas, too.

The sweet romance between Nick and Ainsley was a lot of fun. This was a wonderful, light-hearted Christmas romance that will set you up nicely in the holiday spirit.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Pick up your copy today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

More Holiday Romances

O Night Divine Anthology
Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn
Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson
Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn ~ Book Review

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn ~ Book Review

by | Nov 7, 2020 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclaimer for more details.

Three reasons you should read this Hallmark Christmas Romance:

About Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

Title: Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy
Author: Janice Lynn
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

When a quilt shop owner 
finds a former Marine’s journal,
she longs to heal his heart…

When Sophie Davis sorts through a box of donated books to her church, she’s surprised to discover a soldier’s journal. As the daughter of a veteran who watched her father struggle over the years, she feels a deep connection to the man who wrote the emotional entries.

Former Marine Cole Aaron battled to find peace after returning to civilian life. He’s always needed to protect others. Now, fighting fires in Pine Hill, Kentucky helps him put out the demons within him. When Sophie shows up at the fire hall with his journal from when he’d first returned stateside, Cole can’t believe it was in the box he’d donated. Not wanting to face painful memories, he tells her to trash it.

Sophie and Cole are drawn together as they both volunteer for their community, but it’s hard for Cole to let down his guard, and he doesn’t need anyone’s pity. After all he’s been through in the past, can he find faith in a more hopeful future…one touched by joy?

This heartwarming romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Dilly Duchess Potatoes.

My Review of Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy:

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn was a very holiday romance. If you love Christmas, then you’ll get plenty of it here. It screams holiday madness from every page.

Sophie Davis LOVES Christmas. And this year, she’s determined to make the life of Cole Aaron fuller. She knows things about him that no one else does. Because she read his journal. She had good intentions, but it still bothered me the entire book. Why didn’t she check out the rest of the box it was in before she read all of it?

Cole is understandably upset when he finds out Sophie read his journal. And it was a journal of some pretty dark moments and thoughts in his life. But he’s way too much of a jerk about it too. In fact, he’s kind of a jerk about Christmas in general. Taking part in town events as his civic duty instead of because he wants to.

Sophie and Cole circle each other throughout the entire book. It’s very on-again, off-again – mostly on Cole’s side. He ran hot and cold, and it switched within a second. Sophie is a saint to have not given up on him. But they make a wonderful couple. They balance each other out.

The highlight of the book for me was Sophie’s quilting. I’ve always admired the creativity and craft that goes into making a quilt. And Sophie does such wonderful things with hers. Her dedication to making others’ lives better was amazing. It was really my favorite part of the book.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Pick up your copy today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

More from Hallmark Publishing

Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson
Snowball's Christmas by Kristen McKanagh
Christmas in Bayberry by Jennifer Faye