Silent Partner by Jennifer Peel

He thinks his silence will protect her. She needs to hear what’s in his heart.

When it comes to love and life, Kinsley Kramer knows one thing—she’s always second best. Tired of feeling like she’s never enough, she decides to give up on men and adopt a cat. What Kinsley doesn’t know is that Brant Holland wants nothing more than to tell the world how much he loves her, but he has kept his distance to protect Kinsley from the secrets he keeps and from his ex-fiancée’s family.

But when Kinsley is about to lose her restaurant, Brant can’t help but act. He steps in and becomes her silent partner. Unable to deny the passion that sizzles between them, they must open painful doors to the past, and the secrets Brant has been keeping must be unleashed. Secrets that threaten to destroy everything and everyone he holds dear. Kinsley must now decide if she can bear the pain of Brant’s past choices and an uncertain future as everything in the Hollands’ world hangs in the balance.

See how it all unfolds in this heart-tugging final chapter of the Pine Falls series.

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I have a confession.  I am a book addict.  I know this and I am at peace with it.  It is books like this that have caused this condition.  See how I blame my addiction on other people?  haha

I read this book quite a bit ago.  I probably read it way to fast because I was so very anxious about it all.  It delivered that one, two (three) punch that author Jennifer Peel is famous for.  You know the kind?  Give you heart, rip the heart out of you and stomp on it (twice for good measure) and then put it together again.  That kind.  After a few weeks, I went back and read it again.  Why?  I thought that the second time around I could just savor it, enjoy it slowly, because I already knew exactly how it all played out.  Are you laughing?  You should be laughing.  Because that was a lie I told myself.  My stomach was a ball of nerves and butterflies the whole second time too.  My heart went through the wringer AGAIN and at the end?  I want to do it all again.  See?  Addiction.

Here's the catch with this book.  You cannot read it until you have read the other two books in this series.  You really, really cannot.  This series is a bit (a lot) of DRAMA.  It's like a soap opera and book three just explodes with secrets and the aftermath of some big decisions that characters make.  It's fantastic.  So, so good.  But start at the beginning.  You won't regret it. 

If ever there were two people to love, it would be Brock and Kinsley.  They are two of the best people ever.  I adore them.  Ugh, okay.  I more than adore them.  Kinsley is SO in the dark throughout the majority of this book.  Almost everyone around Kinsley knows the secrets, I know the secrets and that's where the anxious knot of anticipation came in.  I don't know how my whole body becomes invested in this story and these characters, but it does.  My head, my heart, my gut- all working in sync with the ebbs and flows of this book.  It's nuts.  And I love it.  Clearly.

Content:  mild swearing, talk of intimate relations but nothing detailed in any way.  Kissing.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

In Name Only (Pine Falls Novel Book 2) by Jennifer Peel

He gave his name to protect her. All she wanted was his heart. 

Dani Kramer used to think growing up in foster homes was the most difficult thing she would ever have to do until all her dreams come true. Married to the love of her life, Dr. Brock Holland, and running a foundation that specializes in finding jobs for kids out of foster care, Dani seems to have it all. What no one knows is that it could all go away tomorrow if anyone finds out about the precious secret she carries.

For Brock Holland, military doctor, life has always been about duty to his career and country. But when he’s captured during a joint allied training mission, thoughts of Dani, his best friend, the woman he’s tried for years not to fall in love with, help him not only survive but reevaluate his priorities. However, when he returns home, he finds Dani is pregnant. In a cruel twist, duty calls again. He must marry Dani to save her from becoming a political pawn in a dangerous game she didn’t know she had signed up to play. 

But who will protect Dani’s and Brock’s hearts from each other? Or will they discover their marriage is more than only sharing a last name?

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What just happened?!  I'll tell you exactly what just happened.  I fell in love.  My heart broke.  Then it fluttered with hope.  Then it broke again.  Then it celebrated.  Then it got stomped on.  Torn out.  But then put back together, a little different then when it started but still beating and hopeful and full of love.  Does this sound like an emotional roller coaster?  Yes.  Yes it does.  But in the very best of ways.

Dani and Brock have history.  It's a bit complicated (and by a bit, I mean a LOT), in the past and at the present time.  Both are battling their own demons while trying to navigate a very sticky and stressful situation.

Author Jennifer Peel has said that this Pine Falls series is a bit like a soap opera, and it really is!  But again, in the very best of ways.  There is so much drama.  DRAMA LAMA.  I LOVED it.  There aren't enough hearts to convey my love for this book.  That's because this author does such a good job of making me feel things.  I am invested in her characters and I'm full of emotions.  That's a win.  I'm willing to be put through the wringer if I come out with heart eyes in the end and have real emotions all the way through.

It was really hard to drag myself away from this book.  When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.  I can't wait to go back and read it again!  Oh, and this might be one of my favorite covers ever.  I am in love with it as well as what's inside!

Content warning: Mention of intimate relations but nothing in detail.  Kissing.  This book contains sensitive material related to PTSD, brief military violence, and pregnancy. For more detailed descriptions that include spoiler alerts see the authors blog on her website.  

Return to Sender (A Pine Falls Novel Book 1) Jennifer Peel

He never wanted to leave her. She never expected him to return.

If Ariana Stanton has learned anything in life, it's that men leave. She's been taught this lesson well from the father she's never met, who sends her a mysterious letter once a year, to her ex-fiancé, who left her for another woman. So, when she meets the charming and seemingly perfect Jonah, she promises him they will never be more than friends. It's a promise she can't keep. But before he has a chance to leave her, she sends him away.

Dr. Jonah Adkinson has one regret--that he let Ariana remain convinced that love never lasts. But now, nine years later, the single dad is back in Pine Falls and on a mission: prove Ariana wrong. He's determined to win over the love of his life. And this time he won't let anything get in the way, not even her.

Now, not only does Ariana have to face the man she's still in love with, but she must confront the mystery of her father's letters, forcing her to reevaluate the past and her choices. But will it be enough to make her believe that, unlike the letter she's always returned, Jonah is hers to keep?

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There is a reason I am so drawn to Jennifer Peel's books. It's the real emotional connection I always find with her characters and in her words. I know when I open a new book I am in for the most fantastic journey filled with wonderful characters and amazing chemistry. Jennifer Peel doesn't shy away from hard topics that dig deeper emotionally. 

Ariana is a complex character with a troubled past that will just tug at your heartstrings. Her perceived truth starts shifting when Jonah walks back into her life and brings some of his own troubles. There is an invisible cord that binds Ariana to Jonah and it sparks to life every time they are together. You can just feel the sparks and the longing between them. Ariana tries so hard to push it all away but that Jonah, wow, he is determined. And patient. Almost a saint, really. He really is out to prove something to Ariana and I loved every second of it. 

I loved the secondary characters, I loved the letter aspect and how things unfolded with that. I loved seeing my old friends from the Not So Wicked series. I loved the sweet little girl that Jonah brings into Ariana's life. I loved the all the "feels" that came with this book.

Every page, every word. LOVED IT. 

Content:  some mention of abuse, neglect.  Kissing.