Riveted - Jay Crownover

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: February 2017

ISBN: 9780008116347

The next book in the smoking hot SAINTS OF DENVER series from NYT bestselling author of the MARKED MEN series, Jay Crownover.

Everyone else in Dixie Carmichael’s life has made falling in love look easy, and now she’s ready for her own chance at happy ever after. Which means no more pining for Dash Churchill, the moody, silent former soldier who she works with. She’s going hunting for Mr Right and a pesky little crush isn’t going to stop her…

Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way home. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy Dixie, determined to break down his walls. Now he knows it’s time to get out of Denver, fast.

But while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work… especially when Mr Right thinks he’s all wrong for you.
My review
Even if you have not read the first books of the Saints of Denver or the Marked Men series, you will still like this book. However, since I've read both of the series, I was (again) swept into the lives and loves of all my beloved characters. I must admit, I'm not a fan of tattoos, but ever since I met Remy and Rule in the first part of the Marked Men series, I can appreciate the artists behind the tattoos. 
And in this book we meet Church. Broody, dark and sinister, we already met Church in Asa's book. He is an army buddy of Rome (yes, the big brother of Remy and Rule) and he has some issues. Of course, there are dark secrets looming, but happy-go-lucky-Dixie does not care. She wants the big bad guy all for herself. But Church doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with her. 
So, she turns to her friendly neighbour Poppy (yes, Salem's sister from Rowdy, Marked Men #5). But Poppy doesn't want to do much with men, because of her crappy history with men. Even Wheeler, Dixie's ex-brother-in-law, scares the hell out of her. (Or maybe not, if I read the blurb of Salvaged, Saints of Denver #4). So, Dixie tries to go out with other guys, through some kind of dating app. But what a bunch of weirdos where that?! 
And then, Church asks her to come along to his home. To pretend to be his girlfriend for his family and friends. So she agrees, because she thinks this is the ultimate chance to prove Church that he is Mr. Right for her and not Mr. Wrong. But what if their pasts creeps up at them? Will they still have a future? Or was Church right in being Mr. Wrong?
Jay Crownover keeps you on edge from start to finish. Absolute wonderful story, with a smile and a tear. I'm waiting for Wheeler's and Poppy's story. Five out of five stars from me and a thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Switching Gears - Chantele Sedgwick

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Published: February 2017

ISBN: 9781510705067

Still mourning the loss of Lucas Nelson, the boy she loved in secret for years, seventeen-year-old Emmy Martin turns to her passion for mountain biking to try to fill the empty void in her life. But just when things start looking up, Emmy discovers her mom has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Confused and angry that her parents didn’t tell her sooner, she throws herself into mountain biking like never before.

When Cole Evans, the rich boy who usually doesn’t care about anything but himself, offers to train her for the biggest mountain biking race of the season, she accepts, determined to beat her nemesis, Whitney, and prove she’s good enough for a sponsor. The more time she spends with Cole, the more she realizes he’s different than she’d expected, and, to her surprise, she’s falling for him. Torn between the deep feelings she still has for Lucas and her growing ones for Cole, she knows she must choose a path: one offers her the chance to love again, while the other is blocked by the overwhelming heartache for the boy she lost.

As she drifts further away from her family and closer to her dream of being sponsored, a terrible accident threatens any semblance of peace and happiness she has left. Instead of closing herself off to the people she loves, Emmy must learn to rely on those she has pushed away if she’s going to have any chance of getting her life back again.

My review
The blurb of this book made me curious. Since I'm currently working for a company in bike supplies, this book was right up my alley. Bikes, romance, drama, definitely sounds interesting. And yes, the book started of great. You are swept into the mourning of Emmy over losing her neighbour and best friend Lucas and the determination of Emmy to beat her nemesis Whitney. Chantele Sedgwick certainly knows how to describe her characters and make you feel their pain and sorrow. And of course their laughter. Kelsie, Emmy's BFF is a wonderful girl, trying to keep Emmy from sliding back into the dark feelings of depression she felt when her secret love Lucas died of cancer. 

However, Em's life isn't getting on track yet. Her mother gets diagnosed with early Alzheimer's and she discovers that her parents have known this for over 6 months, before telling her and her brother Gavin. Angry, confused and sad, she tries to keep everybody at a distance. Especially Cole, her rival teamcaptain from the bike team. But Cole doesn't let her. He keeps popping up and tries to help her train and cope with her frustration. 

So, Cole kind of grows on you. And that's the moment when I kind of lost the feeling with the book. Chantele did an excellent job in creating the tension between Cole and Emmy, the heartbreak of Emmy over Lucas and the banter between Kelsie and Emmy. But when the end of the book was coming nearer, the story sort of drizzled to an end. It was kind of when you bike up an enormous mountain, barely missing all kinds of obstacles, sweating all over the place and then arrive at the top of the mountain, where it's all foggy. All this hard work, and no view. So, three out of five stars from me. The climb to the top was awesome, unfortunately the view was obscured by fog.