Books by Katydid

 Romance on the Reef Kailua Marines: Book 4 Written by: Jess Mastorakos This fourth story in the Kailua Marines series was a more serious read. As both PJ and Maggie have a history of loss, they learn to overcome their fears and heartaches. Jess Mastorakos took her fun series and added a more serious tone to this story while maintaining the same theme of a military man finding his happily ever after. She also did a great job of incorporating how PJ becomes a great father figure to Maggie's daughter. I enjoyed reading about how both of these two received a second chance after happily ever after. 

  Love Laughter, and Happily Ever After A Hilarious Collection of Sweet Romantic Comedies This is a review of one of the novellas within this collection and not the collection as a whole.  Looking for Love (Sort of) Written by: Meg Easton This love story takes me back to high school and the fun that happened there. While not a teenage romance (quite the contrary in fact), it is takes place at a high school reunion. Chloe and Josh both had high school crushes that never came to fruition. In fact, they never thought a romance between the two of them was a possibility until they ran into each other at their reunion. Because of the nature of this story, the romance happens within just a few days. Many authors can make this feel rushed, but with how Meg Easton has set up the characters' background, the whole thing had a smooth transition. This novella was the prefect length with the story that the author has told. I loved the opening scene with Chloe showing up to her home care job...

 Love and Loathing The Harvest Ranch Romance Series: Book 14 Written by: Ellie Thornton This Harvest Ranch Romance novel brings in the best parts of Pride and Prejudice- a swoony hero, bad first impressions, a strong feminine lead, and some rescuing. Ellie Thornton did a fantastic job of translating the classic into a modern retelling with all the loathing from the original. Alexander Young plays the fantastic Darcy while Jessie Winslow becomes the modern-day Elizabeth Bennett. While much of the story matches up with original- it took me a little bit to see the parallels. This made it not quite such a predictable read. 

 The Wrangling of the Wreath Christmas at Shiloh Ridge Ranch Written by: Liz Isaacson The Wrangling of the Wreath showcased Mister Glover's development from the previous books in such a fantastic way. From the beginning, you can see the difference in him and Liz Isaacson maintained that transformation throughout the whole story. Libby also has some growth but not nearly as much as Mister shows. She has a lot of insecurities and throughout the whole story, it is more about Mister can do for her rather than what they can do for each other.  I do love seeing all of the characters come back from the previous stories in the series. From Bear and Sammy to Etta- this family has so much growth and so many changes from the first book to this one. Liz Isaacson has maintained such consistency in the characters' personalities throughout the whole series that it really is one big family history.

  Fly Home to Me Written by: Chalon Linton Fly Home to Me was such a sweet romance to read. Piper Holland is such a relatable character. Her struggles with relationships because of the extreme losses she suffers makes me feel such compassion for her and Gabriel Orsini is such a hunk of a man in both appearance (for Chalon Linton does a great job of describing him) and in character. These two work so well together.  Oftentimes authors will use another possible love interest to create some drama but Chalon does not do this to the extreme. There is a hint of one but Piper knows who she is interested in and doesn't let the possibility of money distract her. I loved that about this story. It really is about the emotional growth of Piper and her process of trusting that people wont leave her.  The whole story flowed so well and while military is an aspect of the story- it isn't overwhelming. That part compliments the rest of the story and adds an exciting aspect to create a rea...

  Heart of the Frontier A Western Romance Collection Written by: Brittany Larsen, Jen Geigle Johnson, Jennie Hansen, Carolyn Twede Frank This compilation of western romances showcases the hard-work and romanticism that is so prominent in the time period and location. From the bustle of the cities back East to the desolation of small-towns in Idaho and Wyoming, the authors in these stories paint the scenery with the beauty that can be found. All four of these authors came up with adventurous stories to tell-including bank robbers, train bandits, gun fights, and cattle thieves these stories make for an enjoyable read. While these novellas don't have any common characters, there is a consistency in the how they really showcase the heart of the west.  Something I love about novella collections is the ability to finish one story and take a break before moving on to the next one. With a busy mom life, having no cliffhangers keeping me up late at night is a good thing and these stori...