Book Review: Three Little Words by Jenny Holiday

Three Little Words

Author: Jenny Holiday
Series: Bridesmaids Behaving Badly, book 3
Publisher: Forever Romance (January 29, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Goodreads     |     Amazon

Summary
Gia Gallo is officially in bridesmaid hell. Stranded in New York with her best friend's wedding dress, Gia has six days to make it to Florida in time for the ceremony. And oh-so-charming best man Bennett Buchanan has taken the last available rental car. Looks like she's in for one long road trip with the sexiest - and most irritating - Southern gentleman she's ever met...

Bennett's pretty sure that if there was ever a woman to break his "no flings" rule, Gia would be it. Sure, she's stubborn. She's also funny, smart, and the attraction between them is getting hotter with every state line they cross. While Bennett doesn't do casual, Gia doesn't do "relationships." But if they break the rules, this unlikely pair might discover that their impromptu road trip could turn out to be the best ride of their lives.

Blog Tour: The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (Review, Excerpt)

She was in the wrong place…

Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smugglers’ hideaway tucked inside a cave. But her delight turns to dismay when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship, leaving her bound and gagged on the captain’s bed…

He found her at the wrong time…

Known to society as a rascal and reckless privateer, Captain Andrew James Rokesby actually transports essential goods and documents for the British government. Setting sail on a time-sensitive voyage to Portugal, he’s stunned to find a woman waiting for him in his cabin. Surely, his imagination is getting the better of him. But no, she is very real—and his duty to the Crown means he’s stuck with her. 

Can two wrongs make the most perfect right?

When Andrew learns that she is a Bridgerton, he knows he will likely have to wed her to avert a scandal—though Poppy has no idea that he is the son of an earl and neighbor to her aristocratic cousins in Kent. On the high seas, their war of words soon gives way to an intoxicating passion. But when Andrew’s secret is revealed, will his declaration of love be enough to capture her heart…?

About the Book

The Other Miss Bridgerton
by Julia Quinn
Series
A Bridgertons Prequel (Jump to the Series on Amazon)
Genre
Adult
Historical Romance
Publisher
Avon Books
Publication Date
November 20, 2018
Purchase Your Copy Today!
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Book Review: Better Not Pout by Annabeth Albert

Better Not Pout

Author: Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Carina Press (November 1, 2018)
Kindle edition, 288 pages
Goodreads     Amazon

Summary
One hard-nosed military police officer.

One overly enthusiastic elf.

One poorly timed snowstorm.

Is it a recipe for disaster? Or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for holiday romance?

Teddy MacNally loves Christmas and everything that goes along with it. When he plays an elf for his charity’s events, he never expects to be paired with a Scrooge masquerading as Santa Claus. His new mission: make the holiday-hating soldier believe he was born to say ho-ho-ho.

Sergeant Major Nicholas Nowicki doesn’t do Santa, but he’s army to his blood. When his CO asks an unusual favor, Nick of course obliges. The elf to his Kris Kringle? Tempting. Too tempting—Nick’s only in town for another month, and Teddy’s too young, too cheerful and too nice for a one-night stand. 

The slow, sexy make-out sessions while Teddy and Nick are alone and snowbound, though, feel like anything but a quick hookup. As a stress-free holiday fling turns into Christmas all year round, Teddy can’t imagine his life without Nick. And Nick’s days on the base may be coming to a close, but he doesn’t plan on leaving anything, or anyone, behind.

Book Review: Like Cats and Dogs by Alexis Stanton

Like Cats and Dogs

Author: Alexis Stanton
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Publication Date: April 17, 2018
Kindle, 268 pages
Amazon   Goodreads

Summary
Laura is drifting through life.

Spencer has the next decade perfectly planned.

Laura loves her dog Frank.

Spencer pampers his cat Mozart.

Both humans have nothing in common, but when there's a mix-up with a vacation rental house, they're suddenly stuck together.

At first, they fight like cats and dogs. Yet they can't deny that opposites definitely attract. Can they find a way to share a roof without driving each other crazy...or falling in love?

This funny, feel-good romance contains a free Hallmark original recipe for S'mores Waffles.

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: New Heights by Quinn Anderson

Rating: 4 Stars

Expected publication: March 12th 2018 by Riptide Publishing
Summary: After attending a friend’s wedding in New York, James Thompson is eager to go home, even though no one will be waiting for him at the gate. He has no expectations for his trip back to Charleston other than long lines, security, and bad airplane food. But when an annoying—albeit hot—stranger cuts him in line, James is determined not to be a pushover for once.

For Mika “It’s Mee-kuh, not Micah” Bailey, today’s just another day of boring work travel. That is, until his flight gets delayed, and some irritating (but handsome) guy keeps hogging all the good power outlets. Which means war. In the middle of an airport. In New York. What could go wrong?

Eventually, they declare a truce, and as they get to know each other, their attraction overwhelms them both. Terrified of what he’s feeling, Mika suggests a no-strings hookup, but serial-monogamist James wants more. If they don’t fight for what’s right in front of them, their romance might be canceled before it ever takes off.
(from Goodreads)

Review: This is a cute romance about two totally opposite (or are they?) guys who are both stuck in an airport in New York City waiting for their delayed flight. Everyone is pretty dang crabby to be stuck there, as you can imagine, and hilarity ensues. I love the opposites attract element to this story (with a dash of enemies to lovers), while at the same time James and Mika aren't opposites so much as two differently shaped puzzle pieces that fit together. (I definitely think James is an edge piece...) Their bumps and misunderstandings feel authentic, and while this definitely has a big dollop of insta-love to it, having both characters acknowledge how bizarre and crazy their immediate attraction is helps me be a little more ok with that. I love that Mika brings out the sass and strength in James, and in turn James helps ground Mika. They're just so great together.

This was a really quick read, I'm not sure if that's because it's actually short or if it's just because I refused to put it down until I'd read the whole thing.

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Riptide Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

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.