I received an advanced reader's copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The day I picked up this book, I read it about halfway. I thought the writing was excellent, and I couldn't put it down.

I loved the interaction between Eden and Beck. I loved how they met and why they understood each other. I enjoyed the picture Sandra Kitt painted with the walkthrough of Washington, DC.

Unfortunately, soon after I got the book, I got covid, and I could not focus enough to read the rest of the book. So I listened to many other audiobooks while I recuperated. When I tried to start the book again, I lost my connection to the characters. It's been muddled with other stories I had read. I wanted to start over, but I have not done so, and my book is about to expire.

Eden Marsh is setting up a memorial for Everett Nicholls, a man we come to know as her mentor, employee and a father figure. She meets Beck Dennison at the memorial but doesn't fully understand his connection to Everett until they are both sitting in a lawyers office going over Everett's will. With all this money at their disposal, will the initial friendship/relationship they started to form be able to survive the theories they have about each other?

This book was well written, but maybe a little too drawn out and slow. It felt forced or cheesy at some of the dialog. While I loved the story, it didn't need to be so blatant.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This was my first book from this author and I enjoyed it. I love the main characters. The girl acted childish at times, I only wished they would have gotten engaged before it ended.

3.5 stars

When you talk about genre romance, it’s not a proper conversation if you’re not including Sandra Kitt. There’s a reason why she has such a storied and celebrated career. Having never read her work before, I felt grateful to have the opportunity to read The Time of Your Life ahead of its publication date.

The Time of Your Life centers around protagonists Eden Marsh and Beck Dennison, their shared experience of having the same father-figure/benefactor, and how they both grow as characters. It’s not a flashy read, meaning that the conflicts are more internal; the flowering of their relationship more slowly paced. I could understand why Kitt is considered one of the greats when I read this.

All that said, I think that the narrative style and prose of the book feels a little more old school, and not necessarily in a bad way! It hails back to a time in the genre that probably evokes a lot of nostalgia for devoted readers. However, as a reader who is fairly new to the genre, I felt that its style was a marked departure from most contemporaries I have read in the past few years. Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing! The characters feel, frankly, a little old. Older than the ages I think they’re meant to be in the novel. But love is universal, and that definitely translates. There are also other complicated relationships that are addressed in the book that add richness to the story and to the emotional growth of the protagonists.

If you are a Sandra Kitt fan, you will love this book. And if you are new to her as an author, it’s still worth a read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Time of your life by Sandra Kitt
I wanna start by saying to thank you NetGalley and thank you to the author as well as the publisher sourcebooks Casablanca.
First time reading a book by this author by I already have others in my very fast growing TBR pile.
Fast read for me. I enjoyed the characters Beck and Eden who came together in a chance meeting of the celebration of life for a loved one. Seems to be a strong attraction from the start that seemed to continue to have them end up in the company of each other at first by chance by then on purpose. Great book and I look forward to seeing more of the couple in future books/stories!!!

This is my first time reading a novel authored by Sandra Kitt, but I do recall seeing her name mentioned in publications such as Essence "back in the day." I enjoyed this book and will check out her past work. Her latest offering, "The Time of Your Life" details a romance set in Washington, DC between a parentified law school student and a biracial established journalist who meet because a mutual party left them a windfall. An attraction and understanding bloom, even though they had some rocky early interactions. What follows is a story of how a spark can ignite to a flame, if given time and oxygen. All told, I'd rate this one a 4 and note that the steam setting is at about 3; recommended reading.

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But I do know people I can recommend this book to that will love and enjoy it.

A great story of perseverance and love with a little romance thrown in. Beck and Eden make a great couple.

I love the cover to this book; it really is so captivating!!! The book took me a bit I was having a hard time finding a way to finish it. The plot was lacking a bit more spunk, depth, and characters weren't developed as much as I would have hoped. I did love this couple, Eden and Beck & how their love developed :)

I will admit that I only picked it for the cover. And the title. But mostly the cover. And right from the start I had such a time getting into the character. She was bossy and focused but I just kept finding my mind wandering as I continued to read. I'm gonna say it was probably just me. Still seems like a solid book but just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

When I first read the description for The Time of Your Life, I was very interested in reading it as it seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. On the one hand, Sandra Kitt is obviously an incredibly talented writer as this book was very well written and easy to read. However, in my opinion, it lacked any real plot or depth. The characters were all very one dimensional and the dialogue felt stilted instead of natural. Additionally, the book felt slow and I found myself struggling to finish it. However, not all books are for all readers, so I would still recommend picking up this book if you like slower paced, easy to read novels.

2.5/5

The plot description appealed to me and, as I was reading, the plot did not disappoint. What did disappoint was the failure to sufficiently develop the characters. With the exception of the interaction early on between Eden and a hotel event manager, it was hard to really get a read on even the main characters. An author should show the reader the characters using dialog and actions,, not tell just about them. Make us understand what makes them tick. Sadly, I couldn’t get past that and quit about half-way through. 2 stars for plot concept.

This is an interesting series of big-city, mid to upper class folk who suddenly come into significant wealth. The first in the series, Winner Takes All, has Patrick winning the lottery, and this second release has both Eden and Beck inheriting fortunes from a father figure. The romance for the main characters is the anchoring point.

What I found different in these stories is the diversity of characters (African American, biracial, White) who have a realistic, level-headed view of the world in which they live. Romance involves all kinds of couples, and the characters live and deal with social justice, professional careers, and education as you and I do - only without their newfound wealth.

The challenges of wisely stewarding the new wealth, dealing with issues of social justice, and at the same time finding their romantic other-half, make for really engaging reading. The stories are compelling, and the social issues appear realistically (rather than being ignored) but are not intrusive. I appreciated the acknowledgement without the agenda.

This second book, in particular, The Time of Your Life, takes place in Washington, DC, and I enjoyed seeing the city and the lives of Eden and Beck. The romance is realistic and sweet, though I didn't enjoy the move to more detailed sex scenes (nothing too graphic, but nothing forwarding the plot or character development).

Author Kitt writes with a deft pen for narrative and dialog, and the characters are well-developed and engaging. Her pace is somewhat slower and steadier than some I read, but still the books are enjoyable reads.

This second book comes out April 11, 2023, and I thank both NetGalley and SourceBooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read an advance copy. The first book segues nicely into the second, though both could serve as stand-alones.

The Time of Your Life by Sandra Kitt
Sourcebooks Casablanca Sourcebooks.Casablanca

Sandra Kitt gives us book 2 of her Millionaires book club, only this time you will fall in love with Beck and Eden.

Kitt’s book is about third-year law student Eden Marsh and Professional Journalist Beck Dennison.

Eden and Beck meet at Everett Nicholls going home celebration, neither know each before the service but both will know each other quite well.

For Everett has left his money to his stepson Beck and mentee Eden.

Both have had to deal with loss, hardship, and healing.

But together they overcome those hardships.

I cannot say that I was overly invested in this book, I almost DNF’d.

I truly had to force myself and skipped through several pages.

This particular book just may not have been for me.
But would be more than willing to try a different book by Ms. Kitt.

Thank you, NetGalley/Sandra Kitt/ Sourcebooks Casablanca Sourcebooks.Casablanca/ For this eARC for my honest review. All opinions are of my own volition.

The Time of Your Life is a multicultural interest novel by Sandra Kitt.

Eden Marsh and Beck Dennison were both influenced by Everett Nichols, but neither knew the other until after his death. Now they have to navigate the tricky paths of romance.

Sandra Kitt proves why she’s a bestseller. Romance abounds throughout this completely captivating multicultural romance. The plot is perfectly paced with vivid dialogue. The Time of Your Life is a 5 out of 5 star read that I highly recommend to all lovers of romance.

My thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! This was my first time reading Sandra Kitt, but others had said they really enjoyed her work so I wanted to check it out. The premise of this book sounds like a dream: being left millions of dollars a by a mentor and having your life changed. I figured this would be a slow burn, given the “they have so much in common, now what” plot, and it definitely delivered! Overall, I think it was a sweet book, a pretty decently paced read, and a nice winter break read.

Beck and Eden are brought together because of the passing of someone that meant a great to each of them. Although they have never met before they feel a connection and when both receive an inheritance they weren’t expecting it brings them closer. There is some lovely writing in this book. I felt a part of each scene described. What is lacking is a cohesive plot. There is more the idea of a story than an actual story here and I quickly grew bored. Add in the attempt at last minute conflict that made no sense to me and I was ready for this one to end. I will read another of Kitt’s books but this one didn’t really work for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is excellent!!! True to style, author has written another emotionally engaging romance with a very in-depth opportunity for readers to get to know the characters, so you can feel their compassion, and relate to them balancing their livelihoods and their quality time as they are pulled in multiple directions. I really like both characters, neither perfect, but they do a great job depicting that it's great to be mutually attracted to and fall in love with someone but a successful, lasting relationship takes work from both. Their journey to building that foundation takes them on a few personal curves and valleys but I was captivated by the stages as they unfolded, hiccups (whew) and especially enjoyed the hugs. Beck is very romantic and patient. Couldn't put it down, realistic characters, unique way to meet, tearjerker, 5+ stars.

January 17, 2023

Enjoyed the ambition and dedication that the main character portrays to her sister and to finishing her degree, and how she shows others compassion. The author truly created a character that was easy to read about and root for good things to happen for her. Enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to reading more from this author

Sandra Kitt is a new-to-me author. Eden Marsh has been busy setting up a memorial celebration for her mentor, Everett Nicholls. While there, she meets Beck Dennison, who she originally thinks is part of the hotel staff for the event. But it turns out that Eden and Beck have more in common than they ever could have imagined. They’ve both inherited a large sum of money from Everett. Beck, because he was Everett’s stepson, and Eden because he mentored her.

Eden is finishing law school, does volunteer work, and holds down a part time job, all while dealing with her younger sister. Beck is a successful journalist and spends a lot of time on the road. Both are dealing with past loss and family issues, but the more time they spend together, the closer they become and each vows to handle their respective situations. But will these family issues divide them, or can they overcome the challenges and find a future together?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.