I have been following the Southern Wedding series from the beginning and enjoyed every installment. With that experience, I eagerly awaited the chance to read Mine to Take. My level of eagerness was further enhanced upon learning that this installment would combine two of the author’s well-loved worlds. Sadly, things didn’t go as planned. I struggled with this one. At first, I thought it was a case of not being in the right frame of mind. However, after closer evaluation, I concluded that the story just did not cut it. A situation which left me sorely disappointed.
When two worlds crossover. From the This Is Series and The Southern Series. 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. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Mine to Take
Author(s): Natasha Madison
Series: Southern Wedding #5
Also in this series: Mine To Kiss , Mine To Have , Mine To Hold , Mine To Cherish , Mine To Love, Mine to Promise , Mine to Honor , Mine to Keep
Published by Self Published on July 25, 2023
Pages: 248
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Publicist
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon
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Things are supposed to go smoothly on your wedding day. Aren't they?
Sofia Barnes I’ve always loved to play dress-up.Creating fake weddings was my childhood pastime.Now it is my dream come true.
I’ve finally been handed my first client.But nothing could prepare me for who greeted me when I walked in.
He was my first kiss, my first everything, including my first and only heartbreak.Now I have to plan his wedding.
Matthew Petrov My family is filled with hockey royalty.From my grandfather to my uncle to my father.Now it is my turn to work my way up the leaderboard.I had everything that I’ve ever wanted in my life.Or so I thought.Nothing could prepare me for coming face-to-face with Sofia.I knew her inside and out.She knew my inner secrets.Two years ago, I let her go, and now she’s planning my wedding to someone else.They say time heals old wounds. They lied.Maybe she was just mine to take.
As a fan of second chance romance and the author’s work, I expected a great read. Unfortunately, everything about this book was bland. The plot, the characters and the execution.
First off, I wasn’t a fan of the hero, and my opinion of him diminished further on learning of the manner in which he ended his relationship with the heroine. His actions reeked of the lack of a backbone, which he proved by how he treated the situation with his fiancée.
I expected more from the heroine, knowing how much hurt she endured from the hero’s actions. However, in no time at all, he broke down her defenses, and soon they were all over each other.
There wasn’t much of a romantic development here. A lack of sufficient background information regarding their romance in the past made it difficult to buy into their romance in the present. The author tells how much they loved each other, but one could not envision it.
The story delivered some light moments which involved the families of both the hero and the heroine. As usual, these guys brought levity to the story, although sometimes their interference became a bit too much.
Overall, with better character development and added depth, Mine to Take had the potential to be a great read.
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About Natasha Madison
When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…
- Face Off With the Captain: R C Stephens - September 12, 2024
- The One I Didn’t See Coming : Piper Rayne - September 10, 2024
- Meant for Gabriel: Natasha Madison - September 8, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Always sad when a book in a favorite series doesn’t grab you. I do like to get a feel for what led up to things in the first romantic encounter so the second encounter has some emotional punch so not getting that would be disappointing.
Oh, that’s too bad. Especially when you love the author’s books so much. I guess that can’t all be five star reads…even when we really want them to be.