Review: Baby Mine by Kennedy Fox

Title: Baby Mine

Author: Kennedy Fox

Year of publication: Out today! The authors kindly gave me a copy to read and review

The heroine: Schoolteacher Lennon Corrigan

The hero: Construction company project manager Hunter Manning

The blurb: I saw her first. Blonde. Gorgeous. Feisty. I was smitten.

But it didn’t matter because she chose him and he was my best friend and roommate. I’d never be able to compete with that, so I pushed her away instead. It was easy when she lived hours away, and I didn’t have to see her every day, but then she moved in with us. Now, I’m screwed.

To her singing in the shower every morning, dancing in the kitchen while she makes coffee, and doing yoga in our living room, I can’t stop thinking about her in all the wrong ways. She’s not mine and never will be, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to push her against a wall and claim her mouth.

She’s constantly on me for making messes, bringing chicks home every weekend, and being a smartass when their PDA gets on my nerves. Considering neither of them know how I feel, it’s not fair for the way I act toward them. I should move out so I can get over her for good; however, the selfish part of me can’t let go.

And then the unthinkable happens… when my best friend dies in a motorcycle accident, the two of us are left to grieve our loss together. Instead of pushing her away, I pull her closer. Just as we come to terms with our new reality, she finds out she’s pregnant with his baby. And I’m left to make the hardest decision of my life.

Standalone or series: This is book one in the Roommate Duet series, and you’ll want to read book two!

The review: I was up until 2am finishing this book, because I was so lost in and captivated by Hunter and Lennon’s story that I couldn’t put it down.

Hunter Manning is behind the bar one night when Lennon Corrigan walks in, and the moment he lays eyes on her he’s smitten. He thinks she also feels the chemistry between them, but she disappears before he works up the nerve to ask for her number. Little does Hunter know that he’ll see her again really soon – like the next morning, when she wanders out of his best friend and roommate Brandon’s bedroom.

Seems Hunter is too late, and Lennon falls madly in love with Brandon. After over a year of long distance dating, Lennon moves in with Brandon and Hunter. Since Hunter hasn’t stopped being in love with Lennon and he obviously can’t tell her, he decides that the best thing for all of them is to make her hate him so he doesn’t slip up and give away his true feelings. He becomes the world’s most obnoxious roommate, and Lennon hates it.

But when Brandon goes out for a motorcycle ride one night and doesn’t come home, Lennon’s world is shattered. Brandon was the man she was going to marry and grow old with. The only person who can even come close to understanding how she feels is Hunter, and after Brandon’s death it’s only him she can stand to be around, because she doesn’t have to hide her grief.

When Lennon finds out she is pregnant, she can barely breathe. Hunter proves to her time and again that he’s not going to let her go through the pregnancy alone, and she’s not moving anywhere – he will take care of her and the baby. Because Brandon would have wanted him to… and he can’t bear to let her walk away now.

But Lennon has bigger problems: her ultra-conservative parents will disown her if they find out she’s pregnant out of wedlock. She hadn’t told them she was living with Brandon, but she can’t hide her pregnancy from them and being disowned would break her heart. When Hunter comes up with an idea, she’s desperate and it seems like the only logical solution. Will Hunter be able to keep his feelings hidden for much longer? How will Lennon react when she realises what’s been right in front of her all along? How will one of Hunter’s exes throw a spanner in the works?

I found Hunter and Lennon’s grief painfully realistic to read at times, since I am also grieving, but it just gave the story so much more depth for me. I’m so looking forward to the second part of this duet so I can read the conclusion of this intricately woven and marvellously told love story.

 

 

 

Review: Forever Mine by Kennedy Fox

Title: Forever Mine

Author: Kennedy Fox

Year of publication: 2019. The authors kindly gave me a copy to read and review

The heroine: Theatre actress Savannah Burns

The hero: College football recruiter Hayden Manning

The blurb: Seeing the woman who broke my heart a decade ago is something I’m not prepared for. Though I’ve forgiven Savannah, I’ve never forgotten what she did.

Now it’s time to confront the secret she’s kept from me. Though it won’t be easy, I’m determined to make things right between us.

One night together is all it takes for our feelings to come rushing back. As memories of us flood in, truths are finally revealed. When the present collides with our past, I’ll do anything to win her back, even when Savannah tries to run again.

This time, I’ll stop at nothing for a second chance.

Standalone or series: This novella is an introduction to the forthcoming Roommate Duet series, but can be read as a standalone.

The review: When Savannah returns to her hometown for the wedding of a high school friend, she knows there’s a possibility she’ll run into him – Hayden, the sweetheart she left behind ten years ago. Hayden is indeed at the wedding, and he knows as soon as she enters the room that Savannah is there.

As soon as he sees her, Hayden knows his heart still belongs to the woman who left him behind to pursue her dream career. What he still doesn’t know is why, and when she eventually admits it, Hayden is determined not to waste anymore time without Savannah. For her part, Savannah realises she did the wrong thing by Hayden and is determined to make it up to him – and more importantly, not to do it again.

This was a sweet novella that didn’t drag out the rekindling of the romance, as some second chance stories tend to do. I found myself laughing and cheering along, and glad Hayden was willing to open his heart again to the woman who had always loved it. A wonderfully written story worth a read. That cover is hot!