Nicole's Book Musings
Sunday, July 27, 2025
*`Release Blitz: Denim & Diamonds by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland`*
*`Book Blitz: Too Good to Be True`*

Too Good to Be True
A.S. Kelly
Publication date: July 23rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
Seth Graham needs help. His eccentric job and troubled past will not help him get custody of his nephews. With their grandmother now stepping in to claim them, Seth needs a solution.
Seth can’t bear another loss. He has already said goodbye to too many people; he can’t give up the only family he has left.Rowan Kennedy doesn’t need anything, especially not another lost cause. His career is finally taking off, and the last thing he has time for is helping a young single father desperate to keep his kids. He has no interest in getting caught up in a custody battle, especially when he’s never even had a real family of his own. He doesn’t know what it’s like to have someone willing to fight for you with everything they have.
But Seth is desperate, and Rowan seems to be his only chance, and these children need a home, love and something Rowan never had: a father who would give anything to see them happy. Plus, Seth is bloody adorable, with his dimples and his blue eyes and the way he creates chaos even when he sleeps, and his sweetness and his desire to be the father the children deserve. And then there’s the way he practically begs Rowan not to walk away now that falling in love might actually be on the table…
Saturday, July 26, 2025
*`New Release & Review: Falling Stars by Lex Martin`*
Title: Falling Stars
Series: Wild at Heart #2
Author: Lex Martin
Release Date: July 24, 2025
REVIEW:
4.5 Stars
This is the second book in the series. I couldn't wait to dive into this one. Maverick and Baylee were best friends so they have all that history until one night changed everything. Now life has dealt both of them some blows that leads to healing wounds in their small town. This book has all the small town charm with a romantic suspense twist. This book had all the heart and heat, but with a big dose of drama. Some nasty characters are causing Baylee and her little one some trouble. Don't even get me started on Maverick with little Leo. Total swoon fest that is, let me tell you. Baylee and Maverick have to work out their past to have a future. When trouble starts escalating it's more than hearts on the line. A really enjoyable book. I loved Baylee and Maverick. I felt for Baylee because I don't know how she was still standing with what she went through. The support system of her BBF and the Walker family meant everything. We got to know Baylee's BBF Paige in the first book in the series. I so loved seeing them enjoying their HEA. I really can't wait for more Walker brothers!!
BLURB:
Falling for the guy who broke my heart years ago wasn’t on my to-do list when I snuck into his condo.
Maverick Walker was my best friend, my safe place—the boy I trusted with my whole heart—until one reckless kiss in high school ruined everything. Now, he’s an NFL football player, and I’m a struggling small-town hairstylist, newly single and expecting a baby. With my ex gone and someone vandalizing my business, my life feels like it’s crumbling beneath me.
When my best friend Paige suggests hiding out in Maverick’s swanky condo to regroup while he’s recovering from an injury in New York, it seems like a lifeline.
Except he comes home. Unexpectedly. When I’m half-dressed.
Now I’m stuck in his orbit again, unprepared for the way he still makes my heart race. Maverick is charming, ridiculously hot, and as off-limits as ever. But I have bigger problems than his smoldering smile—like figuring out who’s targeting me and why they won’t stop.
As the threats escalate, so do Maverick’s protective instincts. But with his life in New York and mine in Texas, our worlds couldn’t be further apart. And yet, with danger closing in, his arms are the only safe haven I have left.
But how do I let him protect me without risking my heart again—when loving him feels as out of reach as a falling star?
Falling Stars is a single mom, forced proximity, friends to lovers romance with second chance vibes. If you enjoy charming cowboys, sassy heroines, or secretive small towns, this book is for you!
BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Bookbub
Goodreads
*`Book blitz: Seven Hundred Beachfront`*

Seven Hundred Beachfront
Ligia de Wit
Publication date: July 22nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Magical Realism, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Some places hold memories. Others have opinions.
I didn’t mean to run again.
But when life gets tangled, I untangle it by leaving. And this time, my escape came with strings attached: a five-year-old brother I never signed up to care for, a seaside town I barely remember, and a tattered house on stilts that belongs in Renter’s Hell.I told myself it was just for the summer. A break. A pause. A way to escape the people I care about but can’t seem to fit with anymore, and the choices I don’t know how to fix.
But the sea doesn’t let you stay distant for long.
Then there’s him. Quiet. Grumpy. Mysterious. The kind of man who doesn’t ask questions, but somehow sees more than he should. I don’t even like talking to him, and yet… here we are. Sharing long silences. Unexpected moments. Maybe even something more.
And as for the house? Let’s just say it has opinions—and it’s not afraid to share them.
Seven Hundred Beachfront is a heartfelt, magical story about learning to stay, letting people in, and discovering that healing doesn’t always come the way you expect it. But when it does, you’ll feel it down to your bones.
Friday, July 25, 2025
*`Cover Reveal: Venomous Kiss by T.L. Smith`*
*`Cover Reveal: Bad Luck, Hard Love by Avelyn Paige`*
All cards are on the table with this cover reveal of Bad Luck, Hard Love by Avelyn Paige. Coming August 14th!
Thursday, July 24, 2025
*`Cover Reveal: Full Tilt by Becca Seymour`*
Love wasn’t in the game plan—until it tackled them both at full speed.
*`Cover Reveal: Run the Play by Kaylee Ryan`*
*`Cover Reveal: Pretty Desperate by Lacey Black`*
*`Excerpt Reveal: Denim & Diamonds by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland`*
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
*`Review: Fixing to be Mine by Lyra Parish`*
Title: Fixing to be Mine
Series: Valentine Texas #5
Author: Lyra Parish
Release Date: June 26, 2025
REVIEW:
4.5 Stars
I'm so glad to be back with the Valentines. They bring an awesome family dynamic and humor. Colt brings all the swoon! Once he spots Sunny/Stormy knows what his future looks like. Sunny is keeping her identity a secret for good reasons. I wanted to get justice for her myself when she sees what he soon to be groom is up to minutes from the wedding happening. Though I must say her real name fits her way more, Stormy. What has to be one of the worst days of her life turns into a blessing is disguise because her impromptu trip to Texas puts her a path she never saw coming. The Valentines and this small town make her feel like home for this first time. Throw in a fake relationship that feels all too real good times are a coming. This book does bring the heat, but with all the heart. I loved the banter between Colt and Stormy. This is such a fun read with all the small town charm. I loved that Stormy is such a strong character that does a lot of healing to find her true happiness. Can't wait for more from this series!
BLURB:
She rolls into town with a bag full of cash, a designer wedding dress stuffed in her trunk, and zero plans to stay… until we meet.
Runaway bride shows up outta nowhere?
Most folks would call that a red flag.
Me? I call it a typical Tuesday and hand her a key.
I’ve been rebuilding this old house for someone just like her, and she’s finally here.
Rumors fly that she’s my girlfriend, and we don’t bother correcting anyone.
Pretty soon, she’s wearing my old T-shirts, sleeping in my bed, and turning my world upside down.
Now I’m calling this city girl darlin’ like she already belongs to me.
She thinks she’ll be able to leave when the dust settles.
But we both know she’s fixin’ to be mine.
Fixing to be Mine is an interconnected stand-alone in the Valentine Texas Series. This book is a small-town, runaway bride romance book with a cowboy hero who falls first and hard. It has rom-com vibes and a happily ever after. While this book is a stand alone, for the full Valentine Texas series experience, start with Bless Your Heart.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Available in KU
Goodreads
Bookbub
*`Review: Not Your Girl by Samantha Brinn`*
Series: Boston Hearts #2
Author: Samantha Brinn
Release Date: July 17, 2025
REVIEW:
4.5 Stars
After reading Jordan's book I couldn't wait to read about his brothers. Totally still in love with Jordan's family. It does my heart good to see Jordan living his HEA! Okay now onto the important part Elliot and Amelia. They have a meet cute on a plane which gives us the glimpse of the on point banter between them. This book had all the heart I was looking for. Elliot had me swooning. They way he supports Amelia and her beautiful brain there is no way of resisting him. I appreciated the mental health rep with depression because I battle that myself. I'm with Elliot because there are good days and bad days. Loved how Amelia supports him through it. Made me fall for these two even more. I love how close the brothers are living in the same brownstone. Another part I loved a lot is Samantha Brinn brought a little bit of her family history. Read the the note from her in the beginning of the book because the mystery of the postcards is such a fun romantic addition to this story. Amelia and Elliot's relationship is a bit forbidden between professor and grad student. A really great book. I'm hooked on this series. Plus it's a small world with connections to some of our favorites from PA. I loved how Amelia finds true friends. A great sense of humor in this one as well. I can't wait for the next brother!
BLURB:
It was a normal morning flight back home, until a gorgeous stranger took the seat next to mine. Then, what was normal became the opposite of that. In six hours of conversation at thirty-five thousand feet, I saw my entire life ahead of me, and every part looked like her.
But when the plane landed in Boston, she disappeared without a trace, leaving me with nothing but her first name. Amelia.
For six months, I haven't been able to get Amelia out of my head. I had almost given up hope that I would ever find my mystery girl, until she walks into my classroom on the first day of school. Everything about her draws me right back in, as if no time has passed.
A relationship with my grad student could put my job at risk, and Amelia Sullivan has her own reasons for keeping me at arm's length.
But when her tech brilliance and a decades-long family mystery have us spending more time together, despite all of our best intentions, the draw between us is undeniable, our connection impossible to resist.
With my job on the line and Amelia's secrets at risk of being revealed, nothing about us being together is easy. But with my heart already lost to her, I don't care about what's easy. I care about what's right. And I know with absolute certainty that what is right is Amelia and me. Together. Forever
BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Available in KU
Goodreads
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
*`Release Blitz: Burn Bag by Giulia Lagomarsino`*
Monday, July 21, 2025
*`Release Blast: Married to Number Twenty-Two by Elise Faber`*
MARRIED TO NUMBER TWENTY-TWO
Elise Faber
Release Date: July 21

Recently traded to the Grizzlies, I’m struggling to find my place on the team. I’ve changed coasts, moved away from my best friend, from the Breakers who became family, and…I’m alone.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
*`Book Blitz: How to Date a Prince`*

How to Date a Prince
Hayden Stone
Publication date: July 15th 2025
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
What happens when the British Crown Prince falls in love with an American man who opposes the monarchy?
Prince Auggie swears he’s no kind of dashing prince: daydreamer, private—and also secretly very gay. He’s instantly horrified when his father, reality TV addict King James, signs Auggie up for a reality TV show to promote the monarchy, where the man with the most talents wins—and to help find Auggie a bride, the very last thing Auggie wants. But duty calls.
When Auggie finds out his co-star is irritatingly gorgeous Thomas Golden, the charismatic dual American-English heir to the Golden hotel fortune, it’s another step too far. There’s at least one problem: Prince Auggie’s already recently crossed paths with Thomas Golden one disastrous night in a London club. Plus, there’s that whole second not-so-small, not-so-secret problem—the Golden family wants to get rid of the monarchy.
Once Auggie and Thomas arrive on set in the English countryside, it’s already unapologetically hate at first sight. It’s going to be a very long summer of filming…until sparks fly behind the scenes, leading them to make a searing heatwave all their own. But soon, real reality strikes, and Auggie must choose between the life he’s destined for as the future king—or dare risk everything for love.
An enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, feel-good gay royal rom-com.
For fans of Red, White & Royal Blue, Boyfriend Material, and The Unlikely Heir.
Friday, July 18, 2025
*`Release Blitz: Heartstrings Unplugged by Adina D. Grey`*
*`Release Blitz: Wicked Pickle by JJ Knight`*
*`Release Blitz: Until Presley by E.M. Shue`*
*`Review Blitz: The Way We Win by Tia Louise`*
✨Let’s celebrate! It’s release day for THE WAY WE WIN by Tia Louise! Grab it in KU!
#OneClickHere
Thursday, July 17, 2025
*`Release Blitz: Hawaii For Two: A Novel by Christina Braver`*
Hawaii For Two: A Novel by Christina Braver is now live!
He's the mysterious catch of the hospital. She's the traveling nurse he never noticed.
A tropical trip with him as her fake date is beyond ridiculous.