Tag Archives: Sarah Ballance

Finding Mr. Right Next Door by Sarah Ballance – a Review

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Finding Mr. Right Next Door by Sarah Ballance – a Review

 

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Description:
For Lexi Dean, burning down her kitchen was disaster enough. Agreeing to move in next door with her totally off-limits best friend, Matt Freeman, until her house is livable again?

Utter madness.

They’ve always been close, but this is ridiculous. If she’s not bumping into him at the refrigerator, he’s at the front door giving her date the third degree. And slipping between his borrowed sheets? That’s about as distracting as listening to his shower run, because suddenly all she can think about is rivulets of water cascading down is spectacular body—the one he seems to be going out of his way to make sure she notices.

Not that it matters. He can flaunt his firefighter abs around her all he wants. They already share everything—their jobs, their friends, their backyard, even their dog—and that means only one thing: Lexi is not going to risk losing any of it by dipping a single toe in the temptation that is Matt Freeman.

Lexi may not know how to handle a fire extinguisher, but this is one fire that just might burn them both if they’re not careful…

 

Review:

Finding Mr. Right Next Door by Sarah Ballance is book two in The Firefighters of Station 1 series.

Lexi Dean’s kitchen is on fire, when in walks next door neighbor, best friend, and fire fighter Matt Freeman. When the fire shifts he instructs her to call 911. Left with embarrassment because she works at the fire station in the supply room she begins to realize she may never hear the end of this!
When it becomes clear that there is no way she can stay in her house in the aftermath of the fire, Matt offers for her to stay with him during repairs. When contemplating the two hour drive she would have commuting from her parents house – she decides to stay with Matt.

Lexi and Matt have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But when she moves in with Matt all that closeness begins to change things.
Even though they spent loads of time together before the fire, being that close to one another starts to prove difficult, Neither of them want to ruin the friendship they have had for so long.

Their friendship turned romance contains just the right amount of sexy, sarcastic banter that proves friends to lovers romance can happen.
Although this one takes the long way around to the HEA. Its a struggle for both to admit their feelings and give in to the temptation before them.
There is a lot of teasing, sarcasm and witty banter. But I enjoy books like that!

I loved the secondary characters – my favorite of which was Elsie – Matt’s grandmother. She made the entire book for me!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book – I must say it was my first “firefighter” book and it can completely be read as a stand alone. Quick short wonderful read that I highly recommend! Will be going back and reading book one in the series because I am sure it will be quick to become on of my favorites.

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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The 48 Hour Hookup by Sarah Ballance – a Review

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The 48 Hour Hookup by Sarah Ballance – a Review

 

The 48 Hour HookupAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Who knew a sweaty photo would be good for business?

Now unwanted booty calls are coming in as fast as work orders, and Liam Chase needs to get away. Cue a job upstate. His new client is hot as hell, but he left NYC to escape attention, not to hook up with the city’s “Runaway Bride”. 

With three disastrous relationships under her belt, it’s clear Claire Stevens’s judgment sucks. And what’s she’s feeling for America’s newest sex god? Obviously another hormone-fueled mistake. 

But when she accidentally fells a tree on his truck, leaving them stranded in a winter storm with a chocolate-snatching raccoon, there’s something to be said for body heat. 

Too bad neither can trust their explosive chemistry…

 

Review:

From start to finish The 48 Hour Hookup by Sarah Ballance was a fun read ?  This is the fourth book in the Chase brothers series. And I have to admit, this story has been my favourite so far. 

Liam gets snapped in a sweaty and manly pose, and before he knows it, he becomes an overnight media star. It might be great for business, but Liam doesn’t need college girls ringing the office phone asking for “hot sweaty HVAC guy”? so when his brother offers him a way out, Liam grabs it with both hands. 

Claire is hiding …… She is also a media star, her claim to fame ….. Being the “runaway bride from New York”  Her retreat is a great place to hide, it’s remote, it’s quiet, but most of all ….. She’s on her own. 

The meeting between the two was memorable, his truck gets damaged by a falling tree (she was the one cutting it down)!   And after introductions are made, they make their way back to her home in the snow, to discuss her maintenance problems,  and then the fun starts….. They get snowed in and terrorized by a raccoon ?

After a close call, both Liam and Claire agree to a “no body contact” between them, Liam isn’t looking to being connected in the media to the runaway bride. And Claire agrees, her judgement isn’t much better, she fell for the wrong guy twice, so she is staying away from men. But Liam sure is cute?

Some of the scenes had me laughing out loud, the incident with Liam’s new truck and her chain saw ….. And the raccoon in the kitchen were hilarious.  Will either of them commit after the snow  has settled ? 

This is a great addition to a good series. And I’m glad Liam gets his comeuppance, he certainly tormented his brothers when they found their women. So if your looking for a read with lots of laughs and a naughty raccoon, then this one comes highly rated ?

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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The Three Week Arrangement by Sarah Ballance – a Review

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The Three Week Arrangement by Sarah Ballance – a Review

 

The Three Week ArrangementAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Ethan Chase isn’t interested in dating. After losing the woman he loved more than life itself, he’d much rather ride solo, but his family is dead set on fixing him up. To get them off his back, he hooks up with ultra-adventurous, ultra-temporary adventure photographer, Rue Campbell. All he has to do is survive three weeks in her orbit and he’ll be single again, only without the pitying looks and pressure to move on.

Rue is literally counting the days until her plane leaves New York City. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but being Ethan’s pretend girlfriend can’t hurt, right? Wrong. With Ethan, there’s no faking anything—in or out of the bedroom. With the sheets burning hot and the clock ticking on their arrangement, Rue realizes she’s falling for a man guaranteed to derail her goals…and break her heart.


Review:

The Three Week Arrangement by Sarah Ballance is the third book in the Chase Brothers series. They don’t need to be read in order, and they can read well enough on its own.

Ethan lost his wife and has had no interest in women.  When his well meaning family keep hinting at dating and more, he has had enough, so he makes an arrangement with Rue.  They will pretend to be dating, thus making his family happy, and maybe they will leave him alone for a while.

At first, it’s ok, it’s a means to an end, right? Until he actually realized that he likes spending time with Rue, but can he actually let himself fall in love again?  What will happens once Rue leaves? Can he convince his heart and Rue to give it a proper chance?

I love the interaction between the couple, the sparks and their dialogue had me smiling.
The author builds this relationship from the ground upwards. It’s not an instant attraction, it’s a slow burning firework, and when it goes off …..

There is also plenty of family interaction, they mean well, but with everyone having an input into the couples relationship, you can except a few laughs along the way.

Rue in contrast is totally the opposite. She has bundles of energy, and she takes Ethan out of his comfort zone on many occasions. But she has no intention of staying, so her fun with Ethan is short term, and if she can take a little pressure of the sad man’s life, then Rue wants to help. But what she didn’t expect or want, was to like and question her own life.

I have read and reviewed book 2 & 3, so I’m going to have to go back and read book 1.
And keeping my fingers crossed for a 4th book.

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy provided by Publisher

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For Seven Nights Only by Sarah Ballance – a Review

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For Seven Nights Only by Sarah Ballance – a Review

 

For Seven Nights OnlyAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Kelsie Reed is over bad luck and bad men. Newly dumped, she’s now the pathetically single maid of honor in her sister’s wedding—and her ex is the best man. Her bad luck continues when a plumbing meltdown in her apartment sends her sexy neighbor running to her rescue. He’s got “serial dater” written all over him, which is unfortunate because the man is hot.

Sawyer Chase loves women, but settling down? He’ll leave that to his brothers. But when Kelsie confesses she’s a dating disaster and is about to become the laughing stock of her family wedding, Sawyer takes control. He’s got one week to teach her how to land the man of her dreams, and he’ll do it on her terms: no touching, no kissing, and definitely nothing more.

But some rules need to be broken, especially when, for once, there’s something on the line worth fighting for…

Review:

For Seven Nights Only by Sarah Ballance is the second book in her Chase Brothers series.

Kelsie doesn’t have luck with men, they never stick around long enough for her to maintain a relationship.  And so now, poor Kelsie, being the maid of honor at her sisters wedding has no date. This was suppose to be a fun day, but after being dumped, she is single again! And after the meltdown with the ….. She has had enough.

Enters her sexy neighbor, an all round love them and leave them guy, Sawyer. Sawyer meets his neighbor under less than suitable conditions.  After their first wet meeting, Sawyer tells Kelsie that he will help her hook and keep a man.

As he tries to teach Kelsie to look and act sexy, Sawyer realizes something, she may just perfect for him, and maybe the rules are meant to be broken. He thinks she is playing hard to get, but spending time with her, he realizes she really is clueless, and adorable, and sexy.

There are plenty of funny moments as Sawyer teaches Kelsie a few lessons. And a couple of funny one liners. The banter is very easy between them. There are a few funny moments with the Chase brothers as well.

I haven’t read the first book, but it makes me want to go meet the first brother. I’m hoping to read a few more brothers in this series.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Publisher

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