Carrie Ann Ryan

Book Review: Always A Fake Bridesmaid
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan @carrieannryanauthor

Carrie Ann Ryan delivers another heartwarming and emotional romance with Always a Fake Bridesmaid. This next-generation love story brings together Livvy Montgomery, a single mom devoted to her daughter, and Ewan McBride, a grumpy but irresistible rancher who unexpectedly turns her world upside down.

From the moment Ewan saves Livvy’s daughter, the connection between them is undeniable. show more What starts as a simple favor—being his fake date to a wedding—quickly turns into something much more. Their chemistry is electric, and watching them navigate their growing feelings despite the distance and their different lives made for a compelling read.

The fake dating trope is executed flawlessly, bringing both humor and emotional depth to the story. Ewan’s gruff exterior hides a heart of gold, and his dynamic with Livvy is both swoon-worthy and deeply emotional. The small-town setting adds to the charm, making their love story feel cozy yet powerful.

Carrie Ann Ryan excels at writing characters who feel real and layered. Livvy’s struggles as a single mom and Ewan’s reluctance to open his heart create a romance filled with longing, sacrifice, and ultimately, love. Their journey is filled with tension, laughter, and heartfelt moments that kept me hooked from start to finish.

If you love fake dating, small-town romance, and a protective, broody hero who falls hard, Always a Fake Bridesmaid is a must-read. Ryan continues to craft stories that are equal parts emotional and swoon-worthy, and I can’t wait for what’s next in the Montgomery World & Clover Lake series!

#AlwaysAFakeBridesmaid #CarrieAnnRyan #FakeDatingRomance #SmallTownRomance #SingleMomRomance #GrumpySunshine #MustRead #BookLovers #SlowBurn #RomanceReaders #FeelGoodRomance #MontgomeryWorld #CloverLakeSeries #readers #read #ReadingCommunity #books #bookstagram #readreadread #booksofinstagram #readersgonnaread #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #bookshelf #readmorebooks show less

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.If You Were Mine is the third book in Carrie Ann Ryan's Cage Family series, and it brings two incredibly popular tropes together: best friend's sibling and age gap. This emotionally charged romance follows the complicated journey of grief, healing, and finding love.

Meet Dorian Cage and Harper Wellesly. Dorian and Harper’s brother were best friends from show more childhood, inseparable and bonded like family. Harper quietly fell in love with Dorian, but he never saw her as anything more than his best friend’s little sister. Everything changes when tragedy strikes. Dorian loses the person who meant the most to him, and Harper is left completely alone after losing the only family she had left.

One year after the devastating tragedy that changed everything for Dorian and Harper, Dorian is still grappling with the emotional and physical scars of the loss, while Harper bears the weight of the emotional ones. Both are lost in their grief, but amid the pain, they find an unexpected solace in each other’s arms.

What began as a forbidden attraction turns into something far more profound. As they lean on each other to heal, their connection deepens beyond the bounds of friendship and family, proving that sometimes, love can bloom in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Dorian and Harper’s chemistry is undeniable, and it’s impossible not to feel pulled into their story. Even with the guilt weighing heavily on him, Dorian simply cannot stay away from Harper, and that emotional conflict makes their connection feel raw and real.

Harper’s backstory truly broke my heart. The loss of her brother feels even more devastating when you understand everything she has already endured. What stayed with me most, though, is her strength. Despite the pain, the grief, and the setbacks, Harper continues to stand tall, making her journey both inspiring and deeply moving.

Once again, Ryan delivered a story that captivated me from beginning to end. From the first page, I found myself fully immersed, eager to see how each moment would unfold. She has a remarkable ability to create relatable, emotionally rich characters whose journeys feel authentic and compelling. Their struggles, growth and connections kept me deeply invested, and by the end, I was left wanting more.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading show less

Unlike the previous bundles this one doesn't contain only novellas but 2 full length novels. I will be honest here and admit that I didn't read those two novels. I wanted to read short stories not 344 pages for one of them. I will read them as soon as my exams are over and update this review, but this bundle should have come with a warning. What I like about bundles is that I get to read about different stories and people in one book. The stories blended together nicely.

I am all about giving show more an author a second chance, but I don't think that Christopher Rices writing agrees with me. This is the second story I read of his and I didn't manage to connect this time either. Dance of Desire was a rocky experience for me. I liked it at first, but then something stopped working for me and I felt like the story shifted in another direction. I will give him another chance, but if I see that three out of three novellas weren't for me, I will start skipping his stories. It wouldn't be fair to me and to the author to keep reading and reviewing something I don't like. Rating: 3 stars because I liked half of the story and I don't think it deserves less.

I love the Montgomery Ink series by Carrie Ann Ryan and I was very happy to get to explore it more. A couple of weeks ago I read Adoring ink and I was wondering if I had seen Brody (the hero of that novella). I delighted to see him been introduced here even if the author used him. Also I realized that Holly and Jake were together far longer than I thought. The only thing that I didn't like about this novella was how Sloane kept saying that he wasn't worthy of Hailey and was trying to push her away. I loved that Hailey fought for him and in the end they managed to work things out. Hidden ink is another winner for me. Rating: 4.5 stars

I don't have anything to say about Blood on the Bayou by Heather Graham, but my rating is 4 stars

Finally here is my review for Searching for mine. I had the chance to read this novella about a year ago, but I was happy to re-visit this world.

Searching for Mine is a novella about Connor, Nate's brother. It's short, but it was satisfying enough for me. I could easily see this book been a full lengthy novel, but it is ok as it is now. What made this novella different from the other books in the series is that connections didn't directly helped Connor and Ella get together, but it made Connor take the first step in making things something more than what they were.
The first thing that comes into my mind when I think of this book is the essays and the books Connor is forced to go through in order to get the degree he wanted. I added a couple of books on my to read list after that and I realized that I want a man like Connor. Not the side of Connor with the 3 B thing. The one who wrote that essay in the end and is secretly like me.
Ella and her son were an adorable duo and great as individuals. How the author managed to place in 130 pages the things she did is something that is beyond me. Because we don't get to see only Connor developing a bond with Ella, but we also see Connor developing a bond with her son.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this novella and I am recommending it not only to the fans of the series, but also people who are looking for some short and sweet book to read. Rating: 5 stars show less

From That Moment is the second book in the Promise Me series by Carrie Ann Ryan. The series is about four women who have troublesome pasts and a pact they made in order to help themselves move forward. Each book is a stand-alone and features a different couple. The blurb sums up the story very well which is why I don't want to say anything else because I might spoil something.

If you have read the previous book you already know this couple (and the next two I might add), but if you haven't show more fear not because this book includes everything you need to know about them. I didn't particularly like the fact that Prior had a girlfriend at the beginning of the book, but it helped a lot with the characters. Paris does not think highly of Prior, to put it mildly, I felt that the girlfriend thing acted as a barrier in order to allow them to get to truly know each other while at the same time setting some boundaries to make Paris more comfortable. I like how Prior and Paris slowly built their relationship, but I would have liked to see the girlfriend gone a little bit sooner.

There is some very heavy teasing for Macon and Dakota's story and I can't wait to get my hands on their book! I also wanna see Nate and Myra getting their happy ending because there were a lot of angry looks between them.

Overall, the book was good and I had a great time reading it! The characters were good and dimensional, there was suspense just like the first book and I felt like the characters truly fell in love with each other instead of been forced to because the plot dictated so. From that moment is another winner in the series! show less