Book Review: Cocky Roommate by Claire Kingsley

Cocky Roommate

Author: Claire Kingsley
Series: Book Boyfriends, book 2
Publisher: ?? (june 27, 2017)
eBook, 278 pages
Goodreads     Amazon (available on Kindle Unlimited)

Summary
This roommate thing was a terrible idea.

Kendra is a messy-haired, pajama-pants-wearing little ball of sass. The first thing she does is try to make friends with my random from the night before—giving her all sorts of bad ideas.

I don’t date. I don’t use words like girlfriend, or I’ll text you later. F*ck that. Relationships aren’t for me. I’ll give a woman a night she won’t forget, but once it’s over, I’m out. 

I keep people at a distance, and I have my reasons. But Kendra starts getting under my skin. And when my life crashes and burns—literally—Kendra is the only person I can count on. 

I’m not built for relationships, and Kendra is not a one night stand. But living with this girl sleeping one room away might just be the thing that kills me.

Monthly Wrap-up: January 2019

2019 Reading Challenge

Book read in January: 19

Total books read: 19

Goal: 100

Discussion posts in January: 4

Total discussion posts: 4 

Goal: 31-40

Backlist books read in January: 11

Total backlist books read: 11

Goal: 100

Contemporary romances read in January: 12

Total contemporary romances read: 12

Goal: 21+

Status post with reviews linked up is here. 

Retellings read in January: 2

Total retellings read: 2

Goal: 21-25

Bingo card progress:

Status post is here. 

Overall, I feel pretty great about my progress on all my challenges for this year! And yes, I KNOW I keep saying "no more challenges!" but MAN, how was I supposed to pass up a challenge geared toward retellings?! I'm hoping I can stack the Retellings Challenge with the Beat the Backlist challenge so I read some of those (often larger!) books off my TBR shelves (and not just all the romances, haha). 

Book Review: First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Philips

First Star I See Tonight

Author: Susan Elizabeth Philips
Series: Chicago Stars, book 8
Publisher: Avon (June 27, 2017)
(first published August 23, 2016)
Paperback, 273 pages
Goodreads     Amazon

Summary
A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel—a long-awaited new entry in the beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author’s fan-favorite Chicago Stars football series.

Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.

Which is why a good detective needs to think on her feet. “The fact is . . . I’m your stalker. Not full-out barmy. Just . . . mildly unhinged.”

Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants of fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding Piper find her very dead husband.

And then there’s Cooper Graham himself, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants is a feisty detective hell bent on proving she’s as tough as he is.

From the bustling streets of Chicago to a windswept lighthouse on Lake Superior to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, two people who can’t stand to lose will test themselves and each other to discover what matters most.

Book Review: Engaging Mr. Darcy by Rachel John

Engaging Mr. Darcy

Author: Rachel John
Publisher: ?? (May 12, 2018)
eBook, 189 pages
Goodreads     Amazon 
(available on Kindle Unlimited & Prime Reading)

Summary
“Angry people are not always wise.” – Jane Austen 

After a standoff in the pizza parlor, Elsie Bennet has decided Fitzwilliam “I-Throw-Fitz” Darcy is the worst customer she’s ever encountered. Also the best looking, but that’s beside the point. She’s horrified to discover Will is not just passing through her small town, he’s her new neighbor. 

Will Darcy has all the money and time he could ask for, and yet life never seems to meet his expectations. When his best friend, Charlie, starts dating Jane Bennet, Will becomes their unhappy third-wheel. The solution? Bring along Jane’s sister, Elsie, a girl who challenges him, makes him laugh, plagues his thoughts, and unfortunately, hates his guts. 

Will might control a lot of things, but he won’t control her. Elsie’s already been warned away by her new friend, Jeff Wickham, who found out the hard way that Will is not someone to be crossed. Things would be so much simpler if she was attracted to Jeff. But she’s not. She’s attracted to Will, and the tug-o-war between her mind and her heart is going to drive her mad. 

A modern day take on Pride and Prejudice with all the characters you know and love."

Book Review: Book Boyfriend by Claire Kingsley

Book Boyfriend

Author: Claire Kingsley
Series: Book Boyfriends, book 1
Publisher: ?? (April 4, 2017)
eBook, 226 pages
Goodreads     Amazon (available on KindleUnlimited)

Summary
He's too hot for words. 

Mia
Alex Lawson might as well be the hottest book boyfriend imaginable. A fun, romantic, possessive, panty-melting man. And the best part? 

He’s real. 

For a girl like me—a slightly awkward book addict—Alex is a dream come true, straight off the pages of my favorite romance novels. But our story is turning into a whirlwind romance—the kind that only exists in books. 

And I wonder if we’re heading toward our own happily ever after, or if he’s too good to be true.

Alex 
Here’s the thing. I’m not a bad guy. Lying to Mia wasn’t part of the plan. Finding success as a romance author using a female pen name wasn’t part of the plan either. But sometimes life takes unexpected turns. Like realizing the woman you’re falling for is your alter-ego’s online best friend. 
Online, she thinks I’m a woman named Lexi. In person, she knows I’m all man. I want to worship her body and claim every inch of her. 

But if she finds out the truth, I could lose everything.

Book Review: Then There Was You by Miranda Liasson

Then There Was You

Author: Miranda Liasson
Series: Angel Falls, book 1
Publisher: Forever (May 29, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback, 360 pages
Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Summary
Fresh from her residency, Serafina Langdon returns to her hometown to join her father's general medical practice a year after her fiancé jilted her. More than anything, Sara just wants to move on, but that becomes impossible once she discovers that the man who was responsible for her broken engagement, and who is also her ex-fiance's best friend, is now the Angel Falls chief of police.

As police chief, Colton Walker is devoted to his small town, and he's equally determined to avoid its newest resident. He and Sara have always gotten along like oil and water, and since the bachelor party incident, he's her Enemy #1. But after sharing an unexpected--and unexpectedly hot--kiss, avoiding Sara becomes the last thing he wants to do. She's not the woman he used to know, and he's falling for her. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Angel Falls, Colton will have to decide if the woman he's always fighting with is also worth fighting for. 

Book Review: Bound for Eden by Tess LeSue

Bound for Eden

Author: Tess LeSue
Series: Frontiers of the Heart, book 1
Publisher: Berkley (May 1, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Goodreads     |     Amazon

Summary
The first novel in a new western historical romance series that will take readers for the ride of their lives on the Oregon Trail.

Alexandra Barratt has found the perfect man—it's a shame he thinks she's a boy...

Fleeing from the murderous Grady brothers, Alexandra disguises herself as a boy and joins a frontier party heading West, with her brother and sister in tow. The wagon train is captained by the irresistible Luke Slater, who's never met a woman he couldn't charm.

At first, Alex can't believe the way every woman in town falls at Luke's feet, including her suddenly flirtatious sister. But when she sees him naked in the bathtub, she finds herself swooning over him too. If only she could wash the muck of her face and show him who she really is. Unfortunately she has more pressing concerns...

The Gradys aren't about to let Alex, nor the small fortune she stole from them, slip through their fingers. Only by maintaining her ruse does she have a chance of protecting her family. But fate, it seems, is conspiring against her.

Book Review: Just This Once by Mira Lyn Kelly

Just This Once

Author: Mira Lyn Kelly
Series: The Wedding Date, book 3
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 2, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Goodreads     |     Amazon

Summary
He can’t have her.
So he moves in with her…
What could possibly go wrong?

As heir to a chain of luxury hotels, Sean Wyse III always gets what he wants. So when he sees a freeloading roommate taking advantage of his spunky best friend, Molly Brandt, he doesn’t hesitate to step in. He kicks out the roommate…and moves himself in. 

Molly loves quality time with Sean, but spending nights with him one wall away threatens to wake the crush she thought she’d gotten over. A crush Sean knows nothing about, which might be a problem…considering how hard Sean’s been working never to think of Molly that way.

Book Review: Just for Show by Jae

Just for Show

Author: Jae
Publisher: Ylva Publishing (February 21, 2018)
Paperback, 312 pages
Goodreads     |     Amazon

Summary
What happens when an overachieving psychologist with OCD tendencies and an impulsive, out-of-work actress start a fake relationship?

Claire Renshaw thought she had it all: a successful career as a couples therapist, a publishing contract for her self-help book, and a happy relationship. But her perfect world falls apart when her fiancée calls off their engagement. Because of that, even her book deal might be off the table. After all, readers don’t want relationship advice from someone who can’t even make her own relationship work.

So Claire sets out to hire herself a fake fiancée.

Lana Henderson, the actress who shows up to audition for the role, is not exactly Claire’s ideal woman. Her frankness and the messes she leaves everywhere drive Claire up the wall. At least she won’t fall in love with someone like Lana.

But soon, Lana starts to win her over with her big heart, tickle fights, and—gasp!—carbs after six. The longer they pretend to be a love-struck couple, the less fake their kisses feel and the more the lines between reality and role begin to blur.

Once the book contract is signed, will they walk away or is their relationship no longer just for show?

A lesbian romance where role-playing has never been so irresistible.

2019 Beat the Backlist TBR

First things first: Beat the Backlist is a year long challenge, the focus of which is knocking older books off your to-read list. They can be any genre, any format, any length. There are just a few rules:

* The book must have been published in 2018 or earlier to count. It can be in any format (including an ARC/eARC) as long as the release date is earlier than 2019. 
* You have to start and finish the book in 2019 to count it. Any books started in 2018 and finished in 2019 do not count. Any books started in 2019 and finish in 2020 also do not count. 

* The challenge runs from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019

Sign up here if you're interested. This post also has a lot more info about the challenge and an FAQ and graphics and fun stuff like that. :) 

This year I'm participating in the Hogwarts House mini challenge as part of Hufflepuff house. You can read more about that here. 

I didn't do great in 2018 at the Beat the Backlist challenge, but that's partially because I set all sorts of weird extra perimeters around it for myself, mostly around only counting books I already owned physical copies of before the challenge started. I think my idea was trying to conquer Book Mountain (which is what I call the physical TBR shelves that are taking over my bedroom, which at least count contained 411 books - this is just physical books I own on my TBR and does not include ebooks or rereads... URGH). Not only did I NOT read many books from Book Mountain, the thing managed to GROW AND MUTATE over the year. Like, a LOT. 

ANYHOO. In 2019 I'm doing the challenge *as intended* thankyouverymuch, which is convenient because I'm so behind on ARCs that I have about 50 past due ones for books published in 2017 and 2018 that will also count for this challenge in 2019. SO BONUS, I can also use #BeatTheBacklist2019 to conquer my past due ARCs as well as Book Mountain, MWAHAHAHHAHAHA!

My goal for Beat the Backlist 2019 is 100 books (I know, lofty goals, right?) and to kick things off I put together a super tentative TBR list. This list is comprised almost entirely of past due ARCs (some aren't quite past due yet, but by the time 2019 rolls around they will be!) and books I purchased off Book Outlet and never read. That's right, I am a book dragon, sitting gloriously atop my hoard. ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR! I've created a Goodreads shelf for #2019BeatTheBacklist and my TBR is also below, if you want to see what I'm going to try to knock out. This is more just guidelines than actual rules, of course, and there's no way I'm getting through ALL of these, but the list does give me at least some sort of place to focus. :) 

How about you? Are you going to be a part of the Beat the Backlist challenge for 2019? How about the Hogwarts House mini challenge? If so, what house are you?
(My TBR list is under the cut, so click to read more if you got here on my main page, because it's loooooong.)