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: Long Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington

Love Songs & Other Lies

Author: Jessica Pennington
Publisher: Tor Teen (April 24, 2018)
Hardcover, 288 pages
Goodreads     Amazon

Summary
It’s summer romance and second chances, the songs that stay in your head, and the boy you’ll never forget.

Two years after rock-song-worthy heartbreak, Virginia Miller is looking forward to a fun, carefree summer. Her friends just landed a spot on a battling bands reality show, and Vee is joining them for her dream internship on tour. Three months with future rockstars seems like an epic summer plan. Until she learns she’ll also be sharing the bus with Cam. Her first love, and her first heartbreak. Now Vee has more than just cameras to dodge, and Cam’s determination to win her forgiveness is causing TMZ-worthy problems for both of them. With cameras rolling, she’ll have to decide if her favorite breakup anthem deserves a new ending. And if she’s brave enough to expose her own secrets to keep Cam’s under wraps.

Book Review: It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday

It Takes Two

Author: Jenny Holiday
Series: Bridesmaids Behaving Badly, book 2
Publisher: Forever
Publishing Date: June 26, 2018
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Amazon  Goodreads

Summary

All's fair in love and war

Wendy Liu should be delighted to be her best friend's maid of honor. But after years spent avoiding the bride's brother - aka the boy who once broke her heart - she's now trapped with him during an endless amount of wedding festivities. Luckily she's had time to perfect her poker face, and engaging Noah Denning in a little friendly competition might just prove that she's over him for good...

Noah Denning is determined to make his little sister's wedding memorable. But it seems Wendy is trying to outdo him at every turn. Challenging each other was always something he and Wendy did right, so when she proposes they compete to see who can throw the best bachelor or bachelorette party in Sin City, Noah takes the bait - and ups the stakes. Because this time around, he wants Wendy for keeps. And when you're fighting for love, all bets are off.

Book Review: Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Him

Author: Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Series: Him, Book 1
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Kindle, 358 pages
Amazon  Goodreads

Summary
They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—

can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend...and a big one to learn about himself.

Warning: contains sexual situations, hotties on hockey skates, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

Blog Tour: Stripped by Tara Wyatt (teaser, excerpt, review)

The first in a sexy new series from Tara Wyatt!

Detective Sawyer Matthews isn’t just having a bad day—he’s having the worst day. His hunt for the criminal who killed his team member has stalled and now… he’s got to play nice with his new, totally unwanted partner. It’s not that she isn’t qualified, or that he doesn’t like her—it’s because he knows what she looks like naked. So very, very naked.

Brooke Simmons finally landed her dream job working for H.E.A.T, an elite undercover detective squad, and she’s not giving up simply because she had a one-night-stand with her sullen—but undeniably sexy—new partner. They’ll just have to keep it professional. Easier said than done, considering their first case requires Sawyer to infiltrate a drug cartel operating out of a male strip show. Watching him do his best Magic Mike impression every night isn’t just hot—it’s torture.  

Sawyer doesn’t need any distractions, yet his attraction to Brooke is explosive and he can’t resist going for round two. Or three. Or four. But as their investigation progresses and danger mounts, they’ll have to put their jobs, hearts, and lives on the line to fight… for each other, for survival, and for justice.

About the Book

Strippedby Tara Wyatt
SeriesThe Blue HEAT Series
GenreAdult
Contemporary Romance
PublisherAvon Impulse
Publication DateMay 15, 2018
Get Your Copy Today!
Amazon  | Avon Romance  | Barnes & Noble  | Google Play | iBooks

Review

Tara Wyatt's writing style is great. The story and characters are all so engaging, and I found myself totally sucked in. I would totally want to hang out at The Speakeasy with Sawyer, Brooke, Jack and Amelia - and recently, wanting to be friends with the main characters has sort of become my litmus test for a great romance novel, haha.

Sawyer is dealing with the death of his partner, Ryan, and certainly doesn't want a new partner - especially the bombshell he had a one-night stand with! Especially since there's a department policy against fraternization with one's partner... The sparks sure fly in this one! There's an almost enemies to lovers vibe as they both try to resist their attraction, but a bit of a friends to lover vibe as well, and ahhh, I can't even. Why do I even try to write reviews? Just go read it. This one's a keeper, OK?

The best characters are fully-fleshed out, with wonderful qualities, failings, quirks... Wyatt really delivers on that with Sawyer and Brooke, and even with their partners Jack and Amelia (who are side characters, but I assume are the leads in the next two books in the series). We don't get much of Sawyer's brothers either, but from what we do get I'd really like to read their books as well, please. (Are you listening, Ms. Wyatt?)

In addition to an excellent romantic storyline and heaps of sexual tension (and really meltingly hot sex scenes, don't forget those!) there is also the cop/detective aspect of this book. Sawyer goes undercover as a male stripper to infiltrate a drug ring that possibly involves the biker gang and/or cartel that murdered his partner, so there's that who detective/spy element to the story as well. I don't normally go much for mystery in my romance, but I DO enjoy action, and this really delivered in a way I enjoyed as being a detective/mystery/action type of deal while still mainly and unrepentantly being a romance.

This is the first book in the series, and you bet your ass I pre-ordered book #2, Schooled. This can be read as a stand-alone, though there are little teaser bits of minor-ish plotline left hanging... Enough to make it so I just HAVE TO KNOW!!

About Tara Wyatt

Tara Wyatt is an award-winning romantic suspense and contemporary romance author known for her fast-paced writing, humor, and sexy love scenes. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario with the cutest dog in the world and a husband who makes all of her heroes look like chumps.

Author Links

    

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

Book Review: It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks #1) by Cat Sebastian

It Takes Two to Tumble

Author: Cat Sebastian
Series: Seducing the Sedgwicks, Book 1
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Published: January 23, 2018
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Rating: 4 stars
★★★★☆
Goodreads  Amazon

Summary:
Some of Ben Sedgwick’s favorite things:

Helping his poor parishioners
Baby animals
Shamelessly flirting with the handsome Captain Phillip Dacre

After an unconventional upbringing, Ben is perfectly content with the quiet, predictable life of a country vicar, free of strife or turmoil. When he’s asked to look after an absent naval captain’s three wild children, he reluctantly agrees, but instantly falls for the hellions. And when their stern but gloriously handsome father arrives, Ben is tempted in ways that make him doubt everything.

Some of Phillip Dacre’s favorite things:

His ship
People doing precisely as they're told
Touching the irresistible vicar at every opportunity

Phillip can’t wait to leave England’s shores and be back on his ship, away from the grief that haunts him. But his children have driven off a succession of governesses and tutors and he must set things right. The unexpected presence of the cheerful, adorable vicar sets his world on its head and now he can’t seem to live without Ben’s winning smiles or devastating kisses.

In the midst of runaway children, a plot to blackmail Ben’s family, and torturous nights of pleasure, Ben and Phillip must decide if a safe life is worth losing the one thing that makes them come alive.

Review: I'm always a little hesitant about reading M/M romance set in the Regency period, because the very nature of society at the time makes it less certain that the characters will get their Happily Ever After. I spend a good part of this book reassuring myself that it simply HAS TO have a happy ending, or at least a "Happy For Now," because it's a romance novel and that's a hallmark of the genre. Still, I was kept on tenterhooks trying to puzzle out how on earth it could all come out happily.

Ben reminds me a bit of Pollyanna: I almost expect him to start quoting all the glad verses from the Bible. (I love Pollyanna, btw, so this is a good thing. Just in case there was any doubt about that.) There are several lines in this book about Ben and his faith that really resonated with me, like one about being able to worship God just as much in the sunshine and fields as in church, and how doing small acts of kindness and service for people is doing God's work. He is such a steady, soothing, joyful presence, like a babbling brook flowing peacefully along in the sunshine.

I also really liked Phillip, and appreciated his flaws and vulnerabilities, as well as his growth and realization about what's really most important in life. The way Phillip and Ben's relationship unfolds is so beautiful and gentle and low-drama, it's just wonderful. This book was such a joy to read as they both learn to make themselves vulnerable and grow together. *dreamy sigh*

I would have liked to see Phillip's children a little more fully developed and fleshed out, though I did think Ned was nearly a fully realized character. I also loved several of the side characters, and would love to see a novella for Alice as well as to hear more about what happens to Martin. I'm SO excited to read more about Hartley, who features in the next book in the series. I went to go buy the next book, A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, and MAY have yelled "Nooooo!" like Vader just told me he's my daddy when I realized it won't be published for another 3 months. (Overdramatic? ME? Never!)

A wonderful start to a new series by the fabulous Cat Sebastian, It Takes Two to Tumble is one Regency romance you don't want to miss.

Book Review: Hurts to Love You (Forbidden Hearts #3) by Alisha Rai

Hurts to Love You

Author: Alisha Rai
Series: Forbidden Hearts, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Published: March 27, 2018
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Rating: 5 stars
★★★★★
Goodreads  Amazon

Summary: Well-behaved women don’t lust after men who love to misbehave.Heiress Evangeline Chandler knows how to keep a secret . . . like her life-long crush on the tattooed hottie who just happens to be her big brother’s friend. She’s a Chandler, after all, and Chandlers don’t hook up with the help. Then again, they also don’t disobey their fathers and quit their respectable jobs, so good-girl rules may no longer apply.

Gabriel Hunter hides the pain of his past behind a smile, but he can’t hide his sudden attraction to his friend’s sheltered little sister. Eve is far too sweet to accept anything less than forever and there’s no chance of a future between the son of a housekeeper and the town’s resident princess.

When a wedding party forces Eve and Gabe into tight quarters, keeping their hands off each other will be as hard as keeping their clothes on. The need that draws them together is stronger than the forces that should shove them apart . . . but their sparks may not survive the explosion when long-buried secrets are finally unearthed.

Review:
I love Eve and I want to give her a big, huge hug and tell her that everything is going to be OK. Come to think of it, I also want to do the same with Gabe… They're both so amazingly strong and spectacular, while at the same time so very damaged and flawed. I love deep, multi-dimensional characters, and Alisha Rai sure delivers! Bits of their stories and how they came to be the people they are at the start of the story are revealed throughout the book in a way that helps the reader to understand them (and relate to them) on a deeper level, without being slammed with all these facts and details all at once so that it's overwhelming. There is real artistry in Alisha Rai's storytelling and character development, and I love how these leads (as well as their crazy families) grow and change throughout this book.

Hurts to Love You has so many great themes/tropes. I'm not normally a fan of May/December romances, but it really works for Gabe and Eve. There's also some best friend's sibling vibes, as well as childhood crush ones. Then there's the crazy Montague/Capulet thing between the Kanes and Chandlers. Eve's relationship with her father, Gabe's big secret… There are just so many great elements in this story that are masterfully woven together. At times I felt REALLY lost at all the interconnecting histories and relationships of the Kane/Chandler family drama, which I think reading the first two books in the series first might have helped me keep tabs of who is who better.

The heat level of this book is intense. Gabe has a tendency to make Eve say what she wants, as well as giving a verbal play by play of his fantasies, what he's about to do, what he'd like to do, etc. etc. etc. It's well written, a little rough, and HOT. Eve puts it best:

"You're a dirty talker. Like sex closed-captioning."

This is the third book in the series, and while it can be read as a stand alone there are definitely spoilers for the first two books in this one. There are also a LOT of characters with a very tangled family history, so while this can be read as a stand alone, you're probably better off reading the first two books in the series, Hate to Want You and Wrong to Need You, before reading Hurts to Love You (because, let's be honest, you know you're going to end up reading them all anyway.)

Book Review: One and Only (Bridesmaids Behaving Badly #1) by Jenny Holiday

One and Only

Author: Jenny Holiday
Series: Bridesmaids Behaving Badly, Book 1
Publisher: Forever
Published: February 27th 2018
Paperback, 368 pages
Rating: 4 Stars
★★★★☆
Goodreads  Amazon
Summary: In this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday proves that when opposites attract, sparks fly.

Miss Responsibility meets Mr. Reckless
With her bridezilla friend on a DIY project rampage, bridesmaid Jane Denning will do anything to escape - even if it means babysitting the groom's troublemaker brother before the wedding. It should be a piece of cake, except the "cake" is a sarcastic former soldier who is 100% wicked hotness and absolutely off-limits.

Cameron MacKinnon is ready to let loose after returning from his deployment. But first he'll have to sweet talk the ultra-responsible Jane into taking a walk on the wild side. Turns out, riling her up is the best time he's had in years. But what happens when the fun and games start to turn into something real?

Review: OK, for starters, who doesn't love main characters who are into Xena: Warrior Princess? Especially a leading lady who is a YA fantasy author who cosplays Xena for ComicCon? Sold! I'm in.

This was a fun book that also made me tear up several times at the emotional stuff in there. Jane confused me a little bit, because she's fun and flirty and totally bad ass, but also a stick in the mud? I couldn't quite reconcile her character in my mind - which is good, because she's not some cookie cutter stereotype, but instead is a real, diverse human character. Cam is also amazing, and swoon at his white knight thing he's got going on. (I love me a bad boy with a heart of gold. So sue me.) I appreciate that they're both messed up in some ways, and totally great in so many other ways. Also, the sex scenes in this thing. To quote Jane, "OH, MY GOD."

I listened to this on audiobook, and I *mostly* enjoyed the narrator. Her voices for Cam and Jay sounded exactly the same, so in some of the spots where they both had dialogue it got confusing. Other than that, though, she's great. I especially love how many ways she was able to express Jane's tag line, which is "Oh my god!" in such varied ways. (Read it and you will see...) If you're listening to the audiobook on your headphone while at work doing data entry, prepare to blush. A lot.

Book Review: The Secret of Flirting (Sinful Suitors #5) by Sabrina Jeffries

The Secret of Flirting

Series: Sinful Suitors, Book 5
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Publisher: Pocket Books
Expected publication: March 27th 2018
Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages
Rating: 4 Stars
★★★★☆
Goodreads  Amazon

Summary: The moment spymaster Baron Fulkham meets the stunning Princess Anne of Chanay, he's positive her royal persona is a ruse and that she's actually Monique Servais, the mysterious actress he met three years before in Dieppe. But as he pursues his suspicions, he uncovers a plot of attempted assassination and betrayal that could very well destroy his career, expose his own secrets...and ruin the woman he's rapidly coming to love.

The Secret of Flirting is a sizzling historical romance filled with fast-paced storytelling, an enchanting heroine, and a sexy hero, perfect for fans of Regency romance.

Review: I love the premise of this book. The Princess of Chanay is in the running to be the new Queen of Belgium, but she's fallen suddenly ill so her long-lost cousin, the French actress Monique who bears a striking resemblance to the real princess, is called upon to take the princess's place... Ooh, intrigue! The potential for mistaken identities to wreak havoc! My catnip. :)

I liked Monique a lot. She's such a strong woman, as well as caring so much for her grandmother. I do love a feisty leading lady, and I love the way she repeatedly challenges Gregory. Him, I had more problems with, but I appreciate the growth he goes through as he realizes that by shutting his emotions away to avoid painful memories, he is also shutting out the positive emotions like joy and love. Both of them let their own pride, insecurity, and fear get in the way of what they both really want, and there were a few moments that my heart positively ached for these somewhat star-crossed lovers. I also really liked the inclusion of Lady Ursula and her situation, as you don't often see many [spoilers removed] in Regency romances.

There was a section of this book where Gregory kept calling Monique "my sweet" in every dang sentence, which was like nails on a chalkboard to me for some reason. Ugh. For the most part, though, this book kept me enthralled and I hated to put it down, and I now must immediately go read the first four books in the series.

This is the fifth book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. Characters from the previous books are minor side characters in this one, and the only real benefit to reading the other books first would be so you're not horribly confused about all these established couples chattering about. The epilogue also sets up a bit the idea that the sixth book will be about Gregory's friend Hart.

Book Review: Hotline (Murmur Inc #1) by Quinn Anderson

Rating: 3 Stars

 

Published October 29th 2016 by Riptide Publishing
Summary: Zack never intended to become a phone sex operator, but with half a college degree and a smart mouth, his options were limited. It helps that he has a knack for thinking on his feet and a willingness to roll with whatever his clients throw at him. Sure, he gets his fair share of creeps and unconventional requests, but it pays the bills, and he’s in no danger of breaking his one rule: never fall for a client.

Until a man named “John” starts calling, and Zack finds himself interested in more than a paycheck. It’s not just that John has money, or that his rumbling baritone drives Zack wild. He’s everything Zack isn’t: educated, poised, and in total control of his life.

A twist of fate brings them face-to-face, and now that they’ve seen each other—and spent an unforgettable night together—they can’t go back to the way things were. A sex worker and a trust fund brat . . . It’s like Romeo and Juliet, but with less stabbing and slightly fewer dick jokes. Hopefully they can pull off a more successful ending.
(from Goodreads)

Review: This book is HOT. I just had to start off by saying that. Like, on a scale from the steam your humidifier in your bedroom puts out when you've got a cold and your classes fogging up when you step out of the Minnesota winter and into a sauna, this is definitely fog-your-glasses-over territory. I'm pretty sure I was blushing furiously through about half of this book, to the point where my husband peered at me suspiciously and asked what I was reading. And I read a LOT of romance, much of which is pretty steamy! But I suppose when one of the main characters is a phone sex operator and the other is his client, it's bound to get pretty, er, steamy. (OK me, stop saying "steamy" now.)

I actually stumbled across this book because I saw the third book in the series, Cam Boy, on NetGalley (and was declined for a review copy, boo!) I was so intrigued by the description of the third book that I went and bought this one, the first in the series. Can I just say, I love this cover? It's not super special, but I just LIKE it. I also appreciate how they carry out the heart for an O in the titles for the covers of the next two books as well, Action and Cam Boy.

I really liked this book, even though I wanted to smack Zack upside the head a few times. I felt like John didn't have a whole lot of personality, but perhaps that's because the focus of the book follows Zack. I enjoy romances the most when they get inside the heads and hearts of BOTH leads, rather than just giving you insight into one of them, and I feel that more from John's point of view would have given this the extra oomph it needed to be a five star read. As it was, it was still really enjoyable, and I appreciated the zany cast of characters, especially Mr. and Mrs. Alvarez and Zack's doggy Ziggy.

While this is a series, each book is a stand alone that is loosely intertwined/related, much like many romance "series." You can absolutely read just this one and not be forced to wait on tenterhooks for the rest of the series. I'm also tagging this in my "online romance" shelf, because it has elements of that trope due to the nature of their telephone relationship...

Book Review: The Wicked Heir (Spare Heirs #3) by Elizabeth Michels

Book Review: The Wicked Heir (Spare Heirs #3) by Elizabeth Michels

Rating: 3 Stars

Published July 4th 2017 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Summary: The Spare Heirs Society Cordially Invites You to Meet Fallon St. James: The Mastermind

When the love of Lady Isabelle Fairlyn's life is betrothed to her twin sister, Isabelle vows to find a suitable replacement before the end of the season. He must be a talented dancer, have a keen fashion sense, and be perfectly dashing in every way.

Fallon St. James is the farthest thing from perfectly anything. As head of the secretive Spare Heirs Society, he must stick to the shadows...even as Isabelle's friendship pulls him reluctantly into the light. But when Isabelle gets involved with the one man who could destroy Spares, Fallon must decide between protecting his life's work―or risking everything to save the woman whose warm smile leaves him breathless.
(from Goodreads)

Review: I don't know if I admire or abhor Isabelle. She's definitely a dreamer, and often lets herself get carried away by her fantasies. From the start, she decided that St. James is a pirate, which was kind of cute and quirky. Sometimes she comes off as pretty saccharine sweet, like cotton candy, and it's rather off-putting. St. James has a bit of a God complex, a bit of hero complex, and apparently thinks he's too important to eat. (Dude, the world is not going to fall apart if you stop to eat a sandwich.) Isabelle brings out a playful side in him that I feel like is a pretty far stretch from the extremely serious workaholic he's written as. They even get into some bedroom roleplay fun, which HE initiates to her delight. I was kinda like, "Yeah, you go St. James. Get down with your bad bedroom play self."

Got to about page 300 and was sick of this book. It was good, but it just went on too long and got really repetitive. I feel like it didn't really need to be 423 pages. The major repetitiveness almost brought this down to a 2 star rating for me, but it did pick up again at the end which saved it a bit and brought it in at a decent 3 stars. If it had about 100 less pages of repetitive "I must work harder for the sake of everyone but myself" and "Woe is me, I'm trapped here, I fall in love at the drop of a hat but this time it's REAL insta-love," I'd have rated it 4 stars.

This is the third book in the Spare Heirs series, but it can be read as a stand alone. There are some references to other spare heirs, and brief allusions to two of Isabelle's friends who are apparently married to members of the Spare Heirs Society, which I assume are the couples features in the first two books. There wasn't anything that made it so this book wasn't understandable, but there may be some slight spoilers for the first two books. There is also a lot of lead up to what I assume will be the fourth book between Isabelle's sister Victoria and another of the Spare Heirs, especially with the quasi-cliffhanger ending.