Sophie Penhaligon

This book took me completely by surprise. I was originally concerned it might fall into the crutch of love curing disability that tends to pop up and was overjoyed to see the opposite. This book shows you Seraphine who is dealing with an invisible disability caused by a tragic accident that also took her mother. This left her struggling with both loss and a brain injury. We see the struggles of everyday tasks with her disability, and the detachment between who she was before and who she is now. Enter Milo grumpy, hot and the genius boss at her new job, when she is called up to be his research assistant, she is forced to share her truth with him and receives the reaction we all dream off. Total acceptance and immediate offer for any accommodations she needs (for this alone Milo is my new favourite book boyfriend…or book boss?).
As a person with invisible disabilities myself and having been in many unfortunate workplace situations where my disability was hard for others to adapt to or process, pure acceptance is beautiful and the literal dream for anyone in corporate situations. I enjoyed the balance Milo worked on striking between helping her and pushing her, just because someone has a disability doesn’t mean they need to be coddled but it also doesn’t mean you can ‘make them better”. Supporting them and loving them is all they need, and Milo learns to find this balance. He even manages a week alone (not very well but he tried) while she is recovering at her rehab, Morley House and falls in love with the place like she has. I was glad he waited and worked on supporting Morley House after he left as many alpha heroes might feel the need to write a check on the spot and it would have been inappropriate at the time. I love how Seraphina is involved in the fundraising attempts and everything about Billy and the Robsons make my heart swell.
Thank you, Sophie, for writing a heroine with a disability and reminding us all we are worthy of love and not a burden to others. Seraphina was beautiful and sexy and smart and had a disability, they existed together, and none lessened the others, she isn’t less smart because she has a disability or less beautiful or less sexy, and Milo loves her because of it all not in spite of it. Don’t settle for mediocre men or anyone who treats you like less because you have a disability.
Also, the spice is
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.… (more)

I laughed so much while reading this book. The banter between the characters and the interactions between Maddie and Reece was so funny. I loved how they made fun of each other and flirted at the same time. Their relationship moves quite fast but it's such a fun and lighthearted story it's so easy to get swept along with them.
Both Reece and Maddie were adorable. They both love animals and it was nice to see how very caring they were towards them. They also have a fun-loving and loyal bunch of friends who are a hoot.
I missed the first book in this series but I definitely want to read Sam and Kate's back story.
This was a fun and humorous romance that left me with a smile on my face.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy provided by the publisher.… (more)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free arc of this book. All opinions are my own.
Safety in Numbers is a romance book with disability representation, the main character is a girl with aphasia after a car accident. She is ashamed of her disability and tries to hide it. The book was an easy romance read which was predictable at times.

Seraphina ends up being paid attention to by the CEO of the company she works at, then she starts working under him and predictably, it turns out he has some problems of his own. Since it's a romance, I believe this was just thrown in to make the characters have more things in common.

I was expecting a powerhouse girl who while ashamed at the start (which most people with disabilities can be) ends up embracing what happened and starts showing it to the world.
Seraphina kept saying over and over that no one would love her because of her disability. While I can understand she may worry, it doesn't need to be repeated several times.

I was hoping she would change her mindset to a positive and become an advocate, this did not happen however.

I was disappointed because I was excited to read this book, however it was something you didn't need to focus on and was an easy romance to read.… (more)

I am always a sucker for books that have animals in them. I am so glad I happened to run across this one on NetGalley. It satisfied my need to read a happy holiday story where animals played an important role. This is just what I wanted!
Verity has been dreading the trip to Vancouver for her sister’s wedding. She has always been an outsider and her sister and mother treat her more like a servant than family. She consoles herself knowing she will have a ski vacation to enjoy with her friends after the wedding. However, when her sister’s dog sitter cancels at the last minute, she gets roped into dog sitting.
Dog sitting is totally outside Verity’s comfort zone. Fortunately, the neighbor down the hall, Nikau and his dog Chunk, come to the rescue. Before long Verity is an unofficial dog Aunt. In addition, to learning all things dog, she has an instant connection to Nikau and a budding romance begins.
This is a typical feel good romance with a happy ending. I liked the characters a lot. I was especially happy with Nikau. He was loving and protective but not smothering. There needs to be more people like him in real life!
The story was good and the plot moved nicely. There was a bit of tension in the story that keep me interested. Overall, very well done.
I recommend this books for fans of romance. I also think readers who love a Christmas story will enjoy this too. Yet, it is not only a great holiday story, it is a story feel good story for any time of year.
I received a free copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, please see my blog at www.thespineview.com.… (more)