Ok, who am I?
Seriously.
Every time I try to really hone in and read more, I fail miserably. Like, for real. But not this month! My goal was to read three books this month. And I read six.
Yes you read that right. SIX. I almost couldn’t believe it, either, but I’m giving credit where credit is due, and there’s one reason I read these six books this month: Kristen Proby.
As you can already tell, five of this month’s haul were written by the very talented Kristen Proby and are of The Boudreaux Series. I started with the first and just.couldn’t.stop. But first, I read the second novel in a series I started back in March.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
This sequel was published in April and I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to read it! But I’m so glad I finally got around to it. Any Day Now by Robyn Carr was absolute perfection. Although, I admit I was hesitant. The first novel, What We Find, was good – like, really good, and I’m not usually a fan of series because the following book(s) never live up to my expectations. But this one blew my expectations OUT.OF.THE.WATER. Obviously, I loved Any Day Now and believe it was the perfect sequel. We still got a glimpse of the main characters from the first book, but it really focuses on Sierra and her story. I wasn’t a fan of Sierra when she was first introduced in the first book, but I soon grew to LOVE her in this one. I’d highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone. Five stars for both books! (as if you couldn’t already tell by my ranting and raving…)
Up next was a book I purchased during Audible’s “two for one” credit sale. The first two books of the series were available, so I thought, “Why not?” and grabbed them both. Easy Love by Kristen Proby is set in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, and it’s a typical love story. CEO Eli Boudreaux hires the beautiful Kate O’Shaughnessy to investigate his company and find out who is embezzling from him, and lo and behold – they fall in love. I’m not really giving anything away here, because even the description of the book admits their love, but this book is more than that. It’s about giving in to your feelings and allowing yourself to make decisions and truly go for what you want in life. It shocked me as to just how much I ended up liking this one, and I gave it four stars.
The next book is book 1.5 of the Boudreaux series, so it kinda relates but kinda doesn’t. Easy With You by Kristen Proby is still set in New Orleans, but its focus is Kate’s best friend, Lila. And although this one was super short (116 pages), it wasted no time in lulling you into complacency and it jumped into the action right away. I absolutely adored Lila and Asher’s story (who were both introduced in book 1 of the series) and even loved the murder investigation that surrounded their relationship. Three stars. It was good, and I’m glad that I read it. Seeing as its not a crucial part of the series, I wasn’t sure if I should or would even enjoy it, but then I gave in and I’m happy about it.
Next up: you guessed it, book two of the Boudreaux series. Easy Charm by Kristen Proby focuses on the Boudreaux’s youngest member, Gabby. She’s the smallest and the only parent of the six siblings, and she runs a bed and breakfast on the family’s plantation house. Kate’s (from book 1) cousin, Rhys (pronounced Reese), was introduced in book 1 and is more like a brother to Kate. He really gave Eli a run for his money when Eli tried to win Kate over, and I liked that he was back in this book. He’s a major league baseball player looking to rehab his injured shoulder and get away from the hustle and bustle of Denver, so Kate suggests Gabby’s inn. The way that Gabby and her son, Sam, interact with Rhys in this book is so heartwarming, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that I had a son only a mere two and a half months ago and may or may not still be somewhat hormonal (I totally am). But it got to me, and I loved it. I also absolutely love the Boudreaux family. They’re a super close-knit group and would do anything for any one of their family members. They’re a large brood with a lot of money, but they’re very down to earth and don’t flaunt their wealth. Huge props to Kristen Proby for that. I just love them! I gave this one four stars as well. Very good!
I quickly purchased the next installment of the series but was a little apprehensive. Easy Melody by Kristen Proby focuses on Declan Boudreaux, a musician. He didn’t want anything to do with the family business (a humongous ship building business) and set out to do his own thing: play music. And he’s damn good at it. He’s also got a reputation for being a player. Well, not a “player” per se, as he was very clear with every single woman he was with that it would go nowhere serious. And so that was his lifestyle. Until Callie. She came to inherit a club that her father left her and decided to fix it up and run it for a while. Sam and Callie’s story entranced me. Seriously. It was the one book of the series that I really wasn’t sure about because I just didn’t “feel it” from the description, but it soon came to be my absolute favorite book of the series thus far! Mr. Playboy tries really hard to be a “boyfriend” and it was honestly humorous to follow his journey in becoming Mr. Right instead of Mr. Right Now. Their relationship has its ups and downs, and Callie takes no B.S. from anyone, so you can only imagine just how witty and hilarious and absolutely HOT this book is. Five stars. Hands down.
My last book this month was book number 4 of the Boudreaux series. Easy Kisses by Kristen Proby focuses on Charly Boudreaux. Her sister talks her into going to a self-improvement seminar in the middle of nowhere, leaving her shoe store in New Orleans for two weeks. Charly also isn’t in the family business, but she’s very successful with her shop, and her family loves her to pieces. She hasn’t had the best of luck in love, as she always seems to land on guys that treat her very, very poorly. At least until she meets the head of the seminar, international motivational speaker Simon Danbury. They try to ignore their obvious chemistry while at the seminar, but what unravels is so beautiful. And the way Kristen Proby does it is serious perfection. Another MUST in this series and another five stars from me.
I can’t wait to get into the next installments of this series. Book 4.5 focuses on Callie’s (from book 3) business partner and barkeep, Adam. He’s just like Declan in that he wants nothing to do with long-term commitment. And he’s happy about it. But I have a feeling the right woman is about to enter his life to change all of that. And I’m excited to find out! Then there are three more books: Easy Magic (book 5), Easy Fortune (book 5.5) and Easy Nights (book 6, that was just released today!). That’s one book for each of the Boudreaux siblings, and I’m so thankful for Kristen Proby’s finesse in writing out this family’s story. Although predictive most of the time, I keep coming back for more and continuously fall more and more in love with this family, who although are very busy, always meet up at the mother’s home for Sunday dinner. Southern charm and family ties. *swoon*
What did you read this month? Any suggestions I should pick up for next month’s haul?
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