Raising the Stakes by Karen Rock

Reviewed by Desere

The amazing talent of Karen Rock is back in yet another heartwarming, too good to be true but simply is, read.

This time the author introduced me to Vivienne Harris, hiding out from the world by tucking herself away in the Adirondack woods, it's meant to keep her safe from the dark memories of the Bronx, from danger and from any entanglements.

Then a little visitor in the form of an orphaned bear cub raids her pantry and up shows conservation officer Liam Walsh ! But he brings news of poachers nearby and suddenly Vivienne 's private, peaceful world is turned upside down.

Forces of nature meet the forces of attraction as Vivienne fights to help bear cub Button and Liam intervenes by being dead set against the bear being rehabilitated. But if Vivienne can gain Liam's support she knows she can give Button a good life, and just maybe find the courage to step into a future with Liam too.

From page one I already knew this was going to be one of those reads that will break my heart over and over again and that I would need to find a lot of courage to continue the read , but I also know that this author's books always finds a way of bringing happiness to the characters in such a manner that any heartache I experience will simply fade away.

I adore animals and reads that involve animals are always scary for me, because I always fear them dying or becoming ill or being in such serious danger that I literately want to climb inside the book to save them myself, the author brought all of those emotions to life but I was of course absolutely overjoyed when so many characters gather forces to save Button.

The characters of Liam and Vivienne were strong, independent, and both quite the force to recon with. Their personality clashes was exciting and I absolutely loved the sparks of attraction and defiance.

What got me the most of this read was the very strong message the author sent through her characters, hiding away from the world is never the answer. It simply proves us as being weak and therefore easy targets to get knocked down again. And saying that you're hiding out and there is no chance of getting knocked down again because you are stronger than you use to be, is simply just a lie, unless you stand up and face the wild hard reality of life you will never be strong enough to find courage of any kind.

I highly recommend this read for all fans that love romance reads with overpowering strong emotions, stunningly crafted characters, a memorable setting and a beautiful ending that will leave you with that amazing feeling of happiness and contentment.

5/5 star review
" The wild brings together two souls destined to save each other" 

A League of her own by Karen Rock

Reviewed by Desere 


Every woman loves a attractive and talented guy, add in a mix of him being off limits and voila, it's an explosive situation bound to be one heck of a fun ride.

Heather Gadway may have been a world-class college pitcher and a top uni coach, but she's ranked as amateur when it comes to managing the Falcons, her father's struggling minor league team.

And when it comes to managing her over the top and very aggravating attraction to Garret Wold, their brand new star pitcher, shouting " time to play ball "  is like setting loose the team on a football field!

Aside from her ever growing attraction she knows it 's going to be hard to prove herself as the first ever female manager in the league and prove to her overly critical father that she's worthy.

So no matter what the cost she cannot afford any distractions no matter how tempting or delicious they may be.  But soon Heather's world starts to fall apart and Garrett is the only one there to catch her.

If you have read my previous review for books by this author, you will now it's no surprise that am not only addicted to them, but that she is in a league of her own, I am yet to find a HQH author that does it quite the way Karen Rock does.

Deep soul searing emotion , chemistry so hot the pages go up in flames and best of all characters that are so real it's scary!

In this read the heroine, Heather is a strong and independent woman, the best kind of all I always say, she stands her ground as best she can but as we all know when the going get's tough the tough does have a tenancy to want to get going. Understandable, because life does seem to be just a little too hard sometimes and wanting to crumble and surrender when we fall is usually where our mind starts to wonder by the time we hit the ground for the what feels like the hundredth time.  Through this author the author showed that everyone needs someone to catch them, even when you think you can beat them all, it simply is not the case. So expect that little helping hand when it comes along.

The character of the perfect troubled past hero, and I adored him to bits! Through this character the author perfectly brought home the message of trust. If someone trusts you enough to risk it all, it's not only common decency to trust them too, but it's also the best way of showing you care. If you have someone's trust but cannot surrender your's to them there really is simply no point in the believe status of the relationship, as they say what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of that very magical, super romantic, rivals turn lovers reads. It was perfect in each and every single way, sexy, sensual and packed with one heck of a curve-ball emotional punch !

5/5 star review
"He knocks her out of the park, but will she stick around to see the end of the game?" 

Someone like you by Karen Rock

Reviewed by Desere

Everyone knows you can't program love. It's meant to happen naturally , and no voodoo spell, or drink this magical potion is going to land you into the arms of the one and only.

But just maybe a new app can, well that's what Kayleigh Renshaw thinks, when she comes up with the idea of a brilliant
"compatibility app" , but the app's not for her to find love, it's only meant for others of the lonely life world to discover their true love, she'll keep playing it safe it 's the right thing to do.

The app is the wave of the future and the best kind of matchmaking software money can buy. All she needs to make it work is a programmer to help her bring the idea to the market.

And she knows the perfect rope me in am yours for the taking to work the magic needed. But there's a catch, because Mr work my magic Naill Walsh is not only Kayleigh's former best friend but also the one that has been avoiding her since his return from Afghanistan.

She can't quite seem to figure out if it's just her or if something far darker is holding him back. Can she gain access to his mind and discover what lies hidden behind his lazy all is well smile, or will she end up running away from her best friend when the truth is revealed?

I have been a huge fan of Karen Rock's truly inspirational reads since her first book. This author manages time and time again to take a everyday situation and turn it into such a vivid and realistic story that it is as if the characters are not simply a name on the page, but right there in front of you going through the worst time of their lives or finding their very own happy ever after. And this time was no different ! During this read I found myself thinking this is not a book, these are not just characters, this is not just a story, this is real life!

In this read I felt each and every single drop of emotion as if I was the one living it. The fear and anger Naill goes through at the loss of friend, the rage he feels at not knowing if what he is doing is the right thing or if he is simply mucking up again.

The heartache and feeling of being completely torn between honor towards her family and the man she has come to love that poor Kayleigh has to face. I more than once pulled out the tissues and bawled like a baby!

The character of Naill was such a heartbreaking one that I simply wanted to grab hold of this man and just hold him. I felt so sad for him and what the demons he had to face, and it reminded me of all the warriors of war out there, that sadly I see each day. They come home with nightmares, flashbacks and truly go through hell trying to try and re-learn life without thinking of what happened out on the battlefield. Some never even find the courage to crawl out from the hell they hide behind and simply fade away from the world. But then there are those like Naill who find a purpose to live again and this author reminded me that there is always hope and a way out. The scars never go away but with someone by your side they do get better and just a little easier to handle.

The character of Kayleigh was so sweet and so kind and just wants to make the world smile. I adored her so much and I saw myself in her all the way. It is a far nicer feeling to make people smile then sad. So yes I totally adored Kayleigh! She was so strong and courageous it made me so proud and I truly wished she could be real because I know for darn sure we would be best friends. Her not wanting to forget her family and the honor anyone would have for one's family made me sad, not because I don't believe in honor, for I definitely do, but because it made it so much harder for her to try and accept what happened to Naill. It is never easy to chose between being angry because of loss and learning to accept what happened and to instead fill your heart with love and not regret and hate. Through this character the author showed me that if we do go with the " I cannot accept what you caused " option then we will be pretty much as good as the walking dead. You will be left behind from the world and find yourself alone and in a pretty dark place, incapable of loving others.

I am taking away so many powerful messages from this read but the one that comes to light the most throughout the read is that we should never hide. Not from the world, not from those we love, and never from those we have lost. The world does not count because they are not ones that determine out happiness we are. The ones we love are the ones that will always be there for us no matter what, so don't push them away. And those ones we have lost, will never truly be gone, the memories of the times you sent together will always be there, and those can never be taken away, so don't let the ghosts of the past hold you back, smile and wave at them each day and thank them for looking down on you and giving you a chance to live.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads. The book is such an inspirational read you will find yourself having a new zest for life, no matter what the circumstances you are facing might be. You will want to push harder and harder to find a way out of what ever you might be needing to face. A truly remarkable, magical, blow me away, bawl my eyes out, make my heart soar, have anyone and everyone believe in romance read!

5/5 star review
" Together they rescue each other" 

His Hometown Girl by Karen Rock

Reviewed by Desere 

You know that feeling you get when you are so unbelievably sad for others that all you want to do is grab hold of them, hug them and tell them it will all be okay?  Or when you are so over the moon happy that you can't stop smiling and just want to shout it out to the whole world?  Well those are just two of the emotions I felt during this read.

The read tells of Jodi and just like every loving mother out there Jodi will do anything to help her son receive the medical attention he needs. Of course having to return to her hometown is not ideal but what must be done must be done.

But when she arrives it very soon becomes clear that her mission is going to be no easy walk in the park or in this case the farm's fields, and it's all because of the one and only man that has always been able to push her buttons both bad and good.

However as every mother knows, nothing stands in the way of helping our children and Jodi is not about to back down easily, only Daniel has the same fierce determination. Only their unspoken love for each other can save them both, that is if it's strong enough to withstand life altering decisions.

This was one of the most incredible stories I have ever read, and if I did not know it was a book I would never had believed someone if they told me it was made up, it was all just too real to be fiction.  It was as if the author did not write the characters herself but rather got real life people to sit down and each write their own part.

Issues such as Autism , unspoken love finally voiced and being tested, a mother having to do what is best for her child, and a man needing to learn how to love both mother and child and accept the mother's decisions are just a few subjects that were explored in this read. The author did a remarkable job with every real life element being described, the entire time I felt as if the author did not just slap this book together, she really took the time to make sure she is informed about every serious issue and it truly showed.

Some reads have the making of a good story but then the focus of the real issues are muddled up with the author not taking the time to research the truth behind the issues, so thank you Karen Rock for taking the time to properly research, in this read everyone will learn something that is vital in so many ways of life.

Jodi's character was the one I could personally most connect with, as a mother I know that doing the right thing can make it seem like there is only one way of doing it, but the author showed me through this character that sometimes what we think is best could very well be but, we need to take the time to listen to others opinions instead of just following our own set of rules, you might just learn something.

Daniel was a spectacular character, I truly loved how he blossoms from this really focused on his goal person to one that is able to see the other side of things and be ready to voice them too. Through this character I learned that we might think we have shown the world our feelings but until we voice them the world will truly never know what goes on inside our heads.

This was such an emotional read for me, I laughed and I cried my eyes out! I was right there with the author wanting to grab hold of the characters and tell them it will all be okay. It was so intense I wanted to climb inside this book and just do anything and everything I could to help. I truly felt the heartache, the pain, the despair and the happiness, exceptional job Karen!

I am taking away so many wonderful lessons from this book that they are simply too many to list, I will say the one that stood out for me from them all was , don't judge. You don't know what everyone is facing, when you see a father in tears it might be because he has just lost his wife and does not know how he will raise a child alone, or when you see a mother that looks like she's about to tear her hair out stop,and think for a moment, maybe her child is suffering some uncontrollable mental illness and no matter what or how tired the mom is she will deal with it because she loves her child yet it still does get to her sometimes as it feels like she just wants to do more but can't.  Never judge those you know nothing about, instead stick to the golden rule of humanity help, all that you can.

I highly recommend this book for every reader out there, it is an absolutely incredible read that will touch every single emotion you have ever felt in life.

5/5 star review
" Home is family and family is home" 

Wish Me Tomorrow by Karen Rock

Reviewed by Nancy Crocker

This was my first read by this author. And I have to say right off this is and was a very emotional read for me. The book deals with cancer, and the battle that many people struggle with. Not only how cancer effects the patient but family members as well. I think the really hard part for me was I so related to the heroine in this book. I also lost a brother to Leukemia and his name was also Bill. Yes it brought back many memories. But some were so very fond. And I found myself not wanting to put this book down even for a break. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Christie Bates heads a support group at the local YMCA for patients suffering from cancer. Christie is also an RN and along with her dog Sweet Pea, they visit with cancer patients. She knows all too well the ups and downs of this illness after losing her own brother to Leukemia. Christie is the type of person anyone would love to have as a friend, she is also feisty and has no problem speaking her mind. Christie tries to always bring joy and hope to the patients she visits and councils, but behind the joy lays deep rooted pain. I also loved the special relationship she has with her Grandmother Rosaline “Rose”.

I loved the character of Eli Roberts. Yes he has lost hope along the way and in my opinion for good reason. When he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma three years ago, his wife did a runner and left him not only to fight the battle of his life, but also to raise their two children. While the marriage might have been a mistake, he never regretted having his children. He just does not know how to relate to them and openly discuss his illness. What made me love this character so is he gave up his own dreams to start a graphic design business while battling cancer, so that his children would be taken care of in the event of his death.

I found myself vested in this story. And I was hoping everything would work out. Not only was I hoping for my HEA with Christie and Eli, but also with the relationship between Eli and his hormonal teenage daughter Becca. The author had a way of making this reader feel like she personally knew the characters of the book. And I was on the sidelines rooting all the way. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers and for those suffering from any illness.

I must say that while this was an emotional read for me. I could see the words of hope so wonderfully written in this book. I have come away with the message not to take any days for granted. To “Wish for Tomorrow” and be very Thankful for Today.

One of my favorite lines:

“Jaaaapers. Would you look at this,” Gran whispered, elbowing her as she craned her neck, taking in the expansive space. “You’ve caught yourself a fine feller.”

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.