Cheryl's Book Nook

  While jogging with Drusilla, the awkward puppy drags me right into a tangle of leashes with another pooch and his person. For the dogs, it’s puppy love at first sight. For us humans, well, I’m certainly not complaining when I get a look at who she’s tangled me with. Tall, dark, and handsome: this must be Markus, the town’s new veterinarian. More than one gossiping granny has suggested he’d be perfect for me. Pump the breaks, Gladys, we don’t even know if Krause’s new resident is gay. Though the dazzling smile he just gave me sure holds a lot of promise. My Review Grab the ALC version. Let me say it again...GRAB THE ALC!! You still need more convincing...Tim Paige & Joe Arden. Yes, you read this right. Tim and Joe perform the ALC in duet. Listening to these two in my ears is a delightful treat for my ears!  This book is actually my favorite in this series. It had so much heart and the emotions. My heart experienced a while range of emotions...weeping, broken, hurting, blu...

  Rico Rodriguez was my first friend, first kiss, and first love. Then he was my first heartbreak. Seven years ago, he left me and this small town to join the Army. Now he’s back, a single dad in search of a second chance. But I’m not the girl he left behind, and I have no interest in taking a walk down memory lane. It will take more than his sexy smile, sweet son, and meddling mom to mend this broken heart. Hearts to Mend is a sexy, full-length, small town, second chance romance with an own-voices depiction of surviving a major medical crisis. Featuring a single dad hero and a firefighter heroine, Hearts to Mend is Book Two of the Hearts of Texas series, but it can be read as a standalone. My Review Warning: This book features a cute kid!  Yes, that is right. Rico's son, Mateo. He is a cutie pie. Every scene that Mateo was in, he stole the show I loved him so much. My love for him was instant unlike the love that Dee and Rico shared. Yes, they had history and there is still...

  The plan was to fix up the farmhouse, sell it, and leave. Then I met Drew...and his cat Bodhi. I’m a stranger in this place. When a car accident nearly killed me, Mom took me away from my father and this small Texas town. Now, I’m back, and while everyone seems to remember the little girl I used to be, no one knows the woman I’ve become. That’s okay. I’m not here to reconnect or fix what’s broken between my father and me. I’m just here to fix the house I inherited, sell it, and go. Then I meet Bodhi, the three-legged cat who keeps peeing on my porch. And along comes Bodhi’s dad, Drew, the protective firefighter with rough hands, a smooth smile, and such a dirty mouth. Drew has a reputation for rescuing strays. Is that what I am, another stray for him to rescue? Or this time, maybe I'll be the rescuer. Hearts on Fire is a sexy, full-length, small town romance featuring a cat dad firefighter and a feisty heroine. It is Book One of the Hearts of Texas series. My Review I was howlin...

  It's been five years since I found my family. Not my bio-family—my found family of friends. I love them to pieces, but lately they aren’t enough. I want a baby. All my friends have family units with cuddly babies, and I want that too. But I turn thirty-five in less than a month. Clock’s ticking, so I’ve got to hustle. I need some baby batter to bake a bun in my oven as soon as possible. One problem: baby batter comes from men, and I’m really tired of men and their heartbreaker BS. Manic, though, is different from the other men. A retired sideshow circus performer with piercings all over the place, he’s different from everyone. I really like him, and I think he really likes me, too, but he flat out refuses to get me pregnant. Is Manic worth giving up my dream of being a kickass mom? Maybe. The fourth and final book of the award winning Lost In Austin series, All the Rest is a grumpy/sunshine romance with tons of laughs and heart and dirty, dirty smut. It's the last book in the...

  When I agreed to my wife’s request for an open marriage, I didn’t anticipate she’d fall in love with another man and leave me. Alone now and drowning in self-destruction, I cling to memories of a trip to New Orleans nine months ago—the night I wandered into a movie theater called Paradise and spent an evening talking with the beautiful owner, Violet Devollier. Our connection was brief but intense. It was a connection so intense that when Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans, I’ll stop at nothing to return to Paradise and find Violet. But what good is a broken man in a broken city? To have any chance of a future with Violet, I’ll have to find the courage to piece myself back together as we rebuild Paradise after the storm. Book three of the award-winning Lost in Austin series, After the Storm, is a slow burn interracial romance which can be read as a standalone. It was the 2023 winner of the Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention for Romance – Sizzle. My Review Where I live, I am...

  Sex and rock & roll are my top priorities. I mean, let’s face it, they’re my only priorities. As frontman of Austin’s most popular metal band, I have it all. But when a car accident nearly kills my best friend, I’m rocketed back to memories of that horrible night, all those years ago when I lost my family at the hands of a drunk driver. That’s trauma I’d rather leave buried, so when Nicole, aka Arson Nic, the roller derby dynamo, skates into my bed, I’m more than happy to bury myself in her sweet solace. What I don’t expect is to wake up with feelings. When a once-in-a-lifetime tour opportunity takes me back to the Cherokee reservation where I grew up, I'll have to face the past I buried long ago if I want to take the road home to a future with Nicole. My Review When the story first started, I was not really fans of either Nicole or Jake. I thought Nicole was clingy and Jake was a player. Yet, as the story progressed, I felt for them both. I warmed up to Nicole first and then...

  I’ve only ever loved one man: Hollywood heartthrob Griffin Stone. In high school, Griffin was hot jock Mr. Popular, while I was the dorky science nerd who tutored him. Now, ten years later, I’m a leader in space technology and a newly-minted billionaire, and apparently I’ve stepped through a wormhole to an alternate dimension because Griffin freakin’ Stone just admitted he’s always had a crush on me. He thinks  I  rejected  him . Can time heal old wounds and bring our stars into alignment? Wishing Upon a Star is a billionaire, Hollywood second chance novella. My Review Things seemed innocent at first between Scarlett and Griffin but then the chemistry heated up. Griffin is the example of nerd turned sexy man candy. Yes, I said "man candy".  I enjoyed the interactions with Griffin and Scarlett.  Ahh, what a fun, steamy, quickie read. If you like engaging characters, good storyline, with sparkles of spice and Buffy the Vampire Slayer trivia, you will want t...

  Am I happy? How would I know? What is the measure of happiness? Deep thoughts to indulge on my birthday, while at a funeral. As I stare down into my grandfather-in-law’s grave, it’s all I can think about. When was the last time I felt truly happy with my life? Those questions linger long after the funeral, eating away at my tranquility like a necrotic wound, until one night I finally ask my husband if we can open our marriage to "live a little." Surprisingly, he says yes. I throw myself headlong into an adventure through the bars and bedrooms of Austin, Texas. For the first time in my life I’m living in the moment—new friends, new lovers, new boundaries to cross. It's all just innocent, no-strings fun...until I meet Alex. Alex changes everything. During self-discovery, have I stumbled across love? Book one of the award-winning Lost in Austin series, Up for Air, is an unconventional romance that can be listened to as a standalone. My Review This book is a surprise must r...

  I haven’t been a paramedic for long, but I’m fairly certain a “mermaid in distress” call will be the strangest incident call I’m ever going to get. Falling in love with the fallen mermaid, even more unexpected. Who knew such a tiny little thing could have such an impact on my heart, and do so much damage to...another part of my anatomy. My Review Callum and Tate share quite the meet cute. It sure is a memorable one. It all started with the "mervert". Tate and Callum are so good together. Yet, they are both kind of klutz's. It was like watching two "nerds" dating for the first time. There are so many hilarious moments to be found throughout this book. I was laughing so much that my sides almost hurt. All of the other characters in this book are awesome. None of them are side characters. Tate has great friends, and Callum should count himself lucky that Tate has amazing friends. They almost ended up in another horrible disaster. Thank goodness for soft landings....