Isn't It Romantic?

The Forever Girl
Jill Shalvis
Series: Wildstone, #6
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: William Morrow
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis does it once again with a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and secrets that have the power to change the course of more than one life.

When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery.

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger.

Cat was determined to reunite her "family". After years of separation, the foster-siblings were summoned back to Wildstone for Cat's wedding. Once back together, they were flooded with a mix of emotions regarding their past, present, and future together as they worked to rebuild the relationships they previously shared. 

I know I say this in all my Shalvis reviews, but I have read over 30 of her books, and she never fails to make me laugh, smile, and swoon. Once again, I was back in Wildstone, feeling all the feels and loving every second of it. 

Found family takes center stage in this story, and I was rooting for them to renew those bonds that had weakened for various reasons. I admired Cat's desire to bring the "siblings of her heart" back into her life, but she really did have her work cut out for her. Three of the main characters were foster children, and each walled themselves off in the name of self preservation. It was wonderful and heartwarming seeing them break down those walls, brick by brick and allow those who earned it in. 

I liked that all four main characters - Maze, Walker, Cat, and Heather, had their own sub-plots, but it was the romance between Maze and Walker that stole my heart. They were dealing with a whole mess of emotions, which prevented them from fully embracing the things in life they really deserved. Maze was drowning in guilt, while Walker wrestled with a his abandonment issues. My heart broke in two for them, but watching them slowly work through their issues and open up was a thing of beauty. 

The Forever Girl was a beautiful and touching story of family, love, and second chances. As expected, Shalvis packed it with characters I adored, lots of humor, and an overwhelming amount of warmth, which left my heart bursting at the seams. 

Not My Match
Ilsa Madden-Mills
Series: The Game Changers, #2
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Montlake
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a smart and sexy romance about a professional football hottie and the girl he’s sworn to never touch.

Homeless and heartbreakingly innocent, Giselle Riley walks into my penthouse and chaos follows.

I shouldn’t have invited the girl genius to live with me, but it’s clear she needs my help—not only for a place to lay her pretty blonde head but in finding real love, which she’s not going to get with the crazy men she picks up online.

Too bad she’s a twenty-four-year-old virgin and I’m a bad boy wide receiver. She’s off limits for a hardcore player like me—and we’re just friends.

Instead, I’m her matchmaking service, no matter how jealous it makes me when I tag along on her dates.

I can keep my self-control. Right? No way will I give in to everything inside me that dreams of a girl like her in my world.

I may be the best wide receiver in the country, but how could I hold on to a girl like her?

Left homeless after a fire made her building uninhabitable, Devon extended an invitation for Giselle to stay in his home. His best friend had asked Devon to look out for Giselle and keeps his hands off, but forced proximity and a growing attraction may have weakened his resolve. 

This was another great addition to the series, and I am glad Madden-Mills elected to feature Giselle. She was such a mystery to me in the last book. I struggled with understanding why she let her romantic life come between her and her sister. Here, she was allowed to explain herself, and let's just say - it's complicated. 

Regardless, I really grew to like Giselle very much. I was under the impression that she was this put together PhD student, who was very straight-laced and uptight. I guess she had to show that side at times, however, she was also a woman who was writing a romance novel and was in love with love. Parts of her life were great, but she carried around a lot of baggage, which was keeping her from enjoying a rich and satisfying romantic relationship. 

Enter Devon, who she had been crushing on before she even met him. I had a soft spot for Devon in the last book, but seeing him with Giselle made me love him even more. He was sweet and caring and very swoony. I actually found him quite remarkable given his upbringing, and I felt proud of what he was able to achieve on his own. Alas, Devon was also lugging around some baggage, and I can't lie, I was delighted to see him and Giselle unpacking it together. 

Like the previous book in the series, this one was packed with lots of fun moments, mostly provided by the fabulous supporting characters. I really adored Giselle's landlady, Myrtle. She was fantastic! It was great to see Devon taking more of a liking to Aiden as well, and you know the Daisy Lady Gang was back in full force wrecking havoc. 

I adored watching these two try to resist each other, while slowly undoing the damage of their pasts. Giselle being a super STEM heroine was a plus, and I really can't wait for everyone to get a peek at that epilogue. Definitely worthy of the happy tears I shed. 

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read any good sequels lately?
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