FINAL DECISION: This one I really liked. It is hot and steamy with some drama and angst because of the boss/subordinate situation (which some might have a problem with but never feels icky here). This is my favorite of the series.

THE STORY: Billionaire Colin Huntley spent a hot night with a woman forbidden to him, his VP Sloan McLaren. When Sloan leaves unexpectedly that night, Colin is determined to continue his relationship with Sloan — even though her being his subordinate is problematic. Sloan can’t forget her night with Colin but is determined to be taken seriously as a businesswoman and not the plaything of her boss.

OPINION: This one is well constructed. It is hot and short and the relationship between Colin and Sloan is just great. There is respect between them and their existing relationship makes the shortness of the story work fine here. The conflict feels less artificial than in some of the other stories in this series. Although Colin is the boss, there is a real sense of equality between these two — both in bed and out. The story is very sexy (in fact most pages here are sex scenes) but there is something really respectful and mature about this relationship.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short story of about 55 pages. The story is also called BEDDING MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BEDDING THE BILLIONAIRE is the eighth book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this one 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: For a story that could be angsty, this actually ended up being sweet because the relationship between Lola and Connor is so nice. Okay story, but not as compelling as it could have been.

THE STORY: Lola Perez and Connor Nash have been neighbors and friends for two years. Lola has a secret that she is keeping from Connor. She is a sex worker and worries about losing Connor’s friendship and also what Connor might do because he is a cop. When Connor saves Lola from an aggressive client, the passion between Lola and Connor finally begins to be revealed.

OPINION: This story started out well with the conflict between Lola’s job and her friendship with Connor. I think the middle when they get together is the least satisfying part of the book because there really isn’t any tension or drama to keep the story moving and the sex scenes are just okay. Then the ending of the book was also good.

I did like that the book doesn’t take the obvious tact of Lola’s profession causing problems with Connor’s work or him being judgmental. But in trying to be positive, I think the author went too sweet and normal for this one. There needed to be some plot to drive the story forward.

This one was okay but nothing special. The title “cuff me” suggested some fun that wasn’t in this one.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short story of about 70 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: CUFF ME is the fifth book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

FINAL DECISION: I liked the couple here, but hated, hated, the ex and how Hannah acted around him. It diminished my liking for the story because of how terrible the scenes with Hannah and her ex were.

THE STORY: Luke has wanted Hannah for twelve years, but she has been in a relationship with his stepbrother. As long as Hannah was happy, Luke wasn’t going to mess up things between them. When Hannah, Luke, and his stepbrother are all staying together at a friend’s house for a high school reunion, things become complicated. Hannah ended her relationship with her ex before making the trip, but staying together in one place makes him believe she will come back to him because she has so many times before. When Luke realizes that he has an opportunity with Hannah, he is determined to take the chance. That story choice diminished my enjoyment of this story.

OPINION: I liked the couple here. The unrequited longing these two have for one another was great. When they get together they are sweet and hot combined. The story was fine. What I really didn’t like was the ex storyline. He is just terrible and Hannah acted like a doormat with him. The problem is that the two of them were together for a really long time. I just didn’t see what she could see in the ex. If she had changed and gotten a spine before she and Luke got together, I would be happier. I just thought that she needed some backbone before getting into a new relationship. Her willingness to take what is emotional abuse at the hands of the ex needed more than just getting into a new relationship.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short story of about 80 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: REUNION is the tenth book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2.5 stars.

FINAL DECISION: The one is really hot. John really cares for Emery, but he is much more dominant in this relationship. There is a slight taboo with stepbrother/stepsister romance although they didn’t grow up together.

THE STORY: Emery Collins wants a child — now. She also wants John Hamilton, so she decided to ask John to be the father of her child. The complication is that John is Emery’s stepbrother. John is worried about his attraction to Emery will explode the family that means so much to them all. But at the same time, Emery and John have secretly wanted one another for over a year.

OPINION: I enjoyed this one. I wanted more drama with the family, but the story is pretty quick and focused more on Emery and John practicing to get pregnant than anything else. I enjoyed how Emery and John clearly have cared for one another for quite a while and only the family relationship is keeping them apart. In some ways, this is also a friends-to-lovers story. One interesting thing about the Temperance Falls series is that people are not shocked or angry at the relationships that would be expected to cause trouble. The story doesn’t really go beyond the tropes that are layered on one another: stepbrother/stepsister, friends to lovers, help to get pregnant. But that shorthand makes this a generally enjoyable story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short novella of about 90 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: KNOCKING HER UP is the seventh book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

FINAL DECISION: The integration of the story, characters, and sex was my favorite of the series so far. There is some gentle angst and drama but also characters who already care for one another as the book opens.

THE STORY: For a year, Kitten and Banner have been having phone sex. But Riley Nash, who is Banner on the phone, knows what Kitten really is — Mayor Kate Briscoe. Riley is a firefighter sixteen years younger than Kate. When Riley reveals his identity to Kate, she is shocked and also tempted.

OPINION: Kate and Riley are a great couple because their relationship is verbal as well as physical. The fact that the two have an existing relationship makes the emotional part of their relationship work better in this book. I liked the drama in this book that is age gap and also a professional woman worrying about how people view her. The story is very sexy and hot. Riley is adorable as he devotes himself to making Kate happy. This feels like a complete story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a novella of about 90 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: TALK DIRTY TO ME is the sixth book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: The one is hot. The story of the bad girl in town and the new pastor. The story doesn’t go the way I expected, and I wish the book had been longer because I think this could have been a great developed story.

THE STORY: Harper Davis was bequeathed a Christian bookstore and tea shop next to a church and decided to open an adult store named Sin. Harper’s distraction is the new pastor, Noah Reid, who she can’t stop thinking about. And Pastor Noah can’t stop thinking about the distraction next door.

OPINION: The setup of this story was really good. The trope and characters were just about perfect. Once the story had to go somewhere with the relationship, there just were not enough pages to fit what could have been a great story but ended up being just good. It was an enjoyable story, but it made me want more development. Being the short story it is, I think this is the best of the series so far.

Noah confounds expectations — especially what Harper expects. I really liked him as a character, as I thought he treated everyone with dignity and respect, even people who were jerks. I thought he was a good example of how a character can demand respect without treating people badly. I thought that his defense of Harper exceeded my expectations.

WORTH  MENTIONING: This is a short story of about 70 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SINNER is the fourth book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: A short but very enjoyable story of two people acting on the attraction between them. The story is fun and sexy with likable characters.

THE STORY: Doctor Josh Hutton is a single dad who can’t stop thinking about his son’s nanny. Bailey has wanted Josh for two years. When a failed date of Baileys leads to an encounter, the two have to confront their feelings for one another.

OPINION: This is a very short story so there isn’t a great deal of complexity or character development, but as a quick story, it was enjoyable. I liked the characters and thought that the story did well in setting up the premise, giving some nice character quirks, and having some entertaining moments between them. It is a quick read, but I liked this one.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short story, more of a quick vignette rather than a developed plot.

CONNECTED BOOKS: NANNY WITH BENEFITS is the third book in the Temperance Falls series. The books take place in the same town but are only loosely connected so this book works as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

FINAL DECISION: I have to admit that I was disappointed. I was recommended these books, but this one didn’t interest me at all. Nothing was particularly good or exciting about the story.

THE STORY: Genesis is the best friend of Brandon’s eighteen-year-old daughter. When the two end up spending time together, the heat between them takes over, but a relationship between them, along with being complicated as Brandon is twice Genesis’s age, the potential scandal threatens Brandon’s career.

OPINION: This book just was boring. There didn’t seem to be any reason for these two to get together or (once they decided to get together) to stay apart. If the story intended to lean on sex, that was pretty boring as well. In fact, I liked this one even less than the first book in the series because it made no sense for Brandon to be concerned about his daughter’s reaction when she was in a relationship with Brandon’s best friend. I don’t mind a quickie book based on a trope that is hot and superficial, but this book didn’t have anything to distinguish it.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short story of about 70 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DILF is the second book in the Temperance Falls series. The story can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.

FINAL DECISION: Average story. There wasn’t much relationship, and even the sex was pretty average.

THE STORY: Eve has wanted Nathan for a long time. Now on her eighteenth birthday, she is ready to make a play for him. Nathan has been attracted to Eve but has been suppressing his feelings because Eve is Nathan’s best friend’s daughter, and Nathan is twice Eve’s age.

OPINION: There are a bunch of these sexy vignette books, but this one didn’t really satisfy either the story or the sex. It wasn’t bad but just pretty average. There are hotter books like this and better and more angst or complex situations. Eve and Nathan didn’t really interest me. Just okay overall.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a very short story of about 60 pages.

CONNECTED BOOKS: DADDY’S BEST FRIEND is the first story in the Temperance Falls series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.